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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 120 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: pound · foot · snap · wax · straw · degree · craft · patient

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. foot — a measure
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wax — to grow
  7. degree — temperature
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pound — a weight
  12. degree — an amount
  13. craft — boats
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. snap — to click
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. craft — a skill
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. degree — from a university
  24. foot — part of the 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