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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: squash · bore · snap · ground · bound · staff · straw · trunk

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. staff — employees
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bound — obliged
  9. staff — employees
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. squash — to crush
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bore — to drill
  15. ground — the earth
  16. squash — the sport
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bore — to tire
  19. staff — a stick
  20. ground — crushed
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ground — a position

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