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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: suit · land · straw · band · snap · last · object · bay

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. land — to come down
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to click
  10. band — a ring
  11. object — a thing
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. band — a music group
  14. land — ground
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. land — a country
  19. suit — clothes
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. object — to protest
  23. last — to go on
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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