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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 · straw · saw · mouse · can · bat · board · snap

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. saw — the tool
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. can — a tin
  12. snap — to click
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bark — to shout
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. board — a committee
  18. can — a tin
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. board — to get on
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bat — the animal

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