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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: stock · temple · cue · saw · snap · straw · bear · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cue — a signal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cue — a hint
  10. band — a ring
  11. snap — to click
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stock — shares
  15. bear — the animal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. saw — the tool
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stock — goods
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. band — a music group
  24. straw — dry grass

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