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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 116 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: wave · rock · straw · wound · rest · kid · fan · spring

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wound — an injury
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. spring — a coil
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spring — of water
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. spring — the season
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rest — a break
  24. kid — child

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