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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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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: wound · present · bank · snap · straw · cell · mug · rush

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. mug — a face
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bank — for money
  5. wound — an injury
  6. present — the time now
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. present — there
  9. bank — for money
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rush — hurry
  13. cell — in biology
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mug — to rob
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mug — a cup
  20. snap — to click
  21. present — a gift
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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