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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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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: cabinet · track · straw · clip · snap · mine · row · firm

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. clip — for paper
  5. track — a path
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. clip — a video
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. clip — to cut
  11. firm — a company
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. row — a line
  15. firm — decided
  16. mine — for digging
  17. firm — steady
  18. track — to keep track
  19. row — to paddle
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. snap — to click
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mine — an explosive

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