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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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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: stem · straw · snap · cue · clip · swing · bound · saw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. swing — to play on
  4. clip — a video
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. cue — a signal
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. saw — the tool
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stem — to come from
  11. clip — for paper
  12. swing — music
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bound — certain
  15. snap — to click
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cue — for pool
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bound — obliged
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. cue — a hint

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