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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.

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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: bear · drill · straw · staff · wind · snap · firm · cap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bear — the animal
  7. firm — steady
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. drill — the tool
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. staff — employees
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. staff — employees
  20. firm — decided
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wind — moving air
  23. firm — a company
  24. wind — moving air

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