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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · dip · straw · fan · mug · snap · wax · chest

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. dip — to sink
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mug — a face
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. snap — to click
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. chest — a box
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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