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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · straw · tube · snap · squash · march · file · nail

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. file — a document
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. season — of the year
  6. tube — the underground
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. march — the month
  9. snap — to click
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. file — a line of people
  12. squash — to crush
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. tube — a container
  15. season — in sport
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. march — the month
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. squash — the sport
  23. march — music
  24. file — a tool

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