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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: row · straw · track · wave · bark · cabinet · pound · snap

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. snap — to click
  3. row — a line
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. track — a path
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. pound — a weight
  24. row — to paddle

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