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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.

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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: wave · deal · present · straw · toast · club · pass · lean

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. present — there
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. lean — thin
  9. present — a gift
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. club — for dancing
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. lean — to bend
  16. present — the time now
  17. club — for golf
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. deal — to handle
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pass — a permit
  24. club — a group

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