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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
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: straw · chip · bark · ball · rush · swing · snap · wound

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bark — to shout
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. swing — in golf
  11. chip — for betting
  12. wound — an injury
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. snap — to click
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. swing — music
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. chip — to eat
  23. ball — a great time
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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