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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 116 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: bay · straw · ground · wind · snap · rest · last · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. wind — moving air
  5. last — finally
  6. wound — an injury
  7. last — to go on
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rest — what's left
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rest — what's left
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rest — a break
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — a position
  20. snap — to click
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. last — final
  23. wind — moving air
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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