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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: snap · straw · cue · sharp · rest · wake · bark · lie

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. lie — to recline
  4. wake — a trail
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rest — what's left
  7. snap — to click
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cue — for pool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cue — a signal
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cue — a hint
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. straw — a straw man

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