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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 116 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: bark · straw · coach · lie · wind · snap · pass · charge

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. lie — to recline
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. charge — in control
  15. snap — to click
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pass — a permit
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bark — to shout
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. coach — a trainer

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