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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
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: snap · chest · current · date · mug · bear · straw · lean

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. chest — of your body
  3. snap — to click
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. lean — thin
  8. current — electric
  9. mug — a face
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. chest — a box
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. current — happening now
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bear — the animal
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mug — to rob
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mug — a cup
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. chest — of your body

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