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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.

Words on the sheet
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: wave · bass · straw · hand · stem · mug · snap · date

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mug — to rob
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. date — the fruit
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. snap — to click
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bass — low music
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bass — the fish
  18. hand — in cards
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stem — to come from
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — a cup

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