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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: bear · drill · wake · snap · straw · cabinet · stick · mark

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bear — the animal
  3. drill — a practice
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. snap — to click
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. drill — army training
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cabinet — ministers

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