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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: key · spell · branch · snap · wax · sharp · bulb · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. key — the most important part
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. spell — letters
  9. key — in music
  10. bulb — for light
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. branch — a division
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. spell — a short time
  18. snap — to click
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. spell — magic
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. sharp — clever
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bulb — for light

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