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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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468
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: rock · row · snap · rest · sharp · tube · mug · straw

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. sharp — clever
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rest — what's left
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rest — a break
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mug — a face
  13. row — a line
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mug — a cup
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. sharp — with an edge

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