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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 120 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: saw · bore · straw · lean · stock · snap · nail · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. snap — to click
  3. stock — goods
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stock — shares
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. saw — the tool
  15. band — a music group
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bore — to drill
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lean — thin
  21. bore — to tire
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. nail — on a finger

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