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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: snap · straw · bay · coach · bound · rash · prune · last

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. last — final
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rash — hasty
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. last — to go on
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. prune — to trim
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. last — finally
  17. rash — a series
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. prune — to trim
  24. straw — dry grass

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