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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: straw · ground · snap · patient · cell · object · swing · dip

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. ground — crushed
  5. swing — to play on
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ground — a position
  10. object — to protest
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. swing — music
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cell — a phone
  17. swing — in golf
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. object — a thing
  20. dip — to sink
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. snap — to click
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. object — an aim

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