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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: snap · file · race · fine · straw · fan · hand · stem

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. race — a contest
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stem — to come from
  11. fine — all right
  12. snap — to click
  13. hand — help
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. race — humankind
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. hand — in cards
  22. file — a line of people
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. file — a document

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