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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 · march · straw · coach · calf · snap · tube · sharp

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. march — the month
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pop — to visit
  7. tube — a container
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. march — the month
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. march — music
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pop — soda
  17. sharp — clever
  18. snap — to click
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pop — music
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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