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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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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: wake · roll · wound · rest · straw · spell · can · last

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wound — an injury
  4. last — final
  5. wake — a trail
  6. last — to go on
  7. roll — a list
  8. spell — letters
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. can — a tin
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rest — what's left
  14. last — finally
  15. spell — magic
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. can — a tin
  20. roll — a cake
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rest — a break
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. can — to be able to

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