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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: bear · firm · trunk · cue · straw · key · snap · roll

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. firm — a company
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. firm — steady
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cue — a signal
  9. roll — a list
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. key — the most important part
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. key — in music
  17. snap — to click
  18. firm — decided
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bear — the animal

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