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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: snap · mouse · temple · spring · wound · straw · face · bass

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bass — low music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. spring — of water
  5. face — part of the head
  6. spring — the season
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. snap — to click
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. spring — a coil
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. face — to confront
  21. bass — the fish
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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