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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.

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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 · stick · coach · straw · spring · wound · rock · rest

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. spring — the season
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rest — what's left
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rock — music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wound — an injury
  18. snap — to click
  19. rest — a break
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rest — what's left
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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