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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: last · snap · roll · spell · deal · prune · straw · pitcher

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. spell — letters
  9. last — to go on
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. spell — magic
  15. prune — to trim
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. prune — to trim
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. roll — a cake
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. roll — a list

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