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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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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 · mouse · rush · wake · ground · chip · hand · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rush — hurry
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. ground — a position
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wake — a trail
  11. hand — help
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chip — for betting
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. hand — part of the body

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