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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: straw · drill · game · cabinet · wave · bark · wind · wound

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bark — to shout
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. drill — the tool
  9. game — wild animals
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. drill — army training
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wind — moving air

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