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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: straw · row · mug · sharp · wave · temple · clip · stand

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — to rob
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. clip — for paper
  10. row — a line
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stand — to bear
  14. clip — a video
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. clip — to cut
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. row — to paddle
  23. mug — a face
  24. sharp — clever

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