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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 116 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 · bark · straw · firm · hand · rash · pop · ground

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. hand — in cards
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. firm — steady
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. hand — help
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bark — to shout
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pop — to visit
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rash — hasty
  18. ground — a position
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pop — soda
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — a company
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rash — a series

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