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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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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: wake · mouse · craft · dip · straw · lean · snap · net

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. craft — a skill
  7. net — for catching
  8. snap — to click
  9. wake — a trail
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. dip — to sink
  17. craft — boats
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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