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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: lean · patient · roll · straw · wax · kid · snap · fine

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fine — all right
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. kid — child
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. lean — to bend
  20. roll — a list
  21. wax — to grow
  22. snap — to click
  23. kid — to tease
  24. lean — thin

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