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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: snap · firm · rash · straw · field · file · bound · wave

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. firm — decided
  6. rash — a series
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. firm — steady
  10. field — for sport
  11. bound — certain
  12. snap — to click
  13. file — a document
  14. field — a subject
  15. file — a tool
  16. field — farmland
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rash — hasty
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. firm — a company
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bound — tied together

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