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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · cell · drill · snap · straw · wind

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — a practice
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wind — moving air
  12. drill — the tool
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com