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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: scale · straw · row · snap · tube · current · track · swing

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. scale — size or range
  5. swing — music
  6. tube — the underground
  7. swing — in golf
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. current — electric
  10. row — to paddle
  11. current — of water
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. track — to keep track
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. snap — to click
  16. track — a path
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. track — a song
  20. tube — a container
  21. swing — to play on
  22. row — a line
  23. scale — in music
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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