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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 120 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: straw · band · bowl · snap · season · wave · sharp · wake

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. season — of the year
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. season — in sport
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. snap — to click
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wake — a trail
  19. sharp — clever
  20. band — a ring
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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