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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: object · pit · snap · lash · sharp · straw · bound · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. spring — a coil
  2. snap — to click
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bound — tied together
  5. object — to protest
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pit — a hole
  9. sharp — clever
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. object — a thing
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. spring — of water
  14. object — an aim
  15. pit — in a race
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. spring — the season
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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