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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: snap · wave · bank · mark · file · ground · straw · rule

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. file — a tool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bank — of a river
  6. mark — a grade
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bank — for money
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. mark — a trace
  11. ground — the earth
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bank — for money
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. snap — to click
  20. file — a document
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — government
  24. wave — with your hand

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