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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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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: mug · leaves · bark · cue · straw · snap · saw · degree

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cue — for pool
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cue — a hint
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cue — a signal
  7. snap — to click
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. mug — a face
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bark — to shout
  15. saw — the tool
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. saw — the tool
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. degree — an amount
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mug — to rob

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