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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: pop · mine · deal · straw · snap · ground · track · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pop — music
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mine — for digging
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pop — soda
  8. snap — to click
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. track — a path
  12. ground — crushed
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. track — a song
  15. ground — a position
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. track — to keep track
  20. ground — the earth
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pop — to visit

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