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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: snap · bear · lie · key · calf · cell · spring · straw

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. spring — of water
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bear — the animal
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. spring — a coil
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. key — in music
  18. lie — to recline
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. key — for a lock
  21. cell — a phone
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. spring — the season
  24. cell — in biology

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