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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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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: deal · current · lean · wind · snap · straw · present · hand

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. current — happening now
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. present — a gift
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. lean — thin
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wind — moving air
  14. deal — to handle
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. snap — to click
  17. present — there
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. current — electric
  21. present — the time now
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. current — of water

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