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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · perch · key · rash · spell · can · snap · straw

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. key — for a lock
  4. tube — a container
  5. spell — letters
  6. can — a tin
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. key — the most important part
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. spell — a short time
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. can — a tin
  16. rash — a series
  17. perch — the fish
  18. snap — to click
  19. spell — magic
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. key — in music
  24. can — to be able to

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