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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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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: bass · mug · snap · suit · cabinet · ground · wake · straw

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. suit — to fit
  8. bass — the fish
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bass — low music
  13. ground — a position
  14. wake — a trail
  15. suit — in cards
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. mug — a face
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cabinet — ministers

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