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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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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: wound · rest · squash · foot · snap · drill · staff · straw

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. squash — to crush
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wound — an injury
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. snap — to click
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. squash — the sport
  14. drill — army training
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. staff — employees
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wound — an injury
  20. staff — a stick
  21. drill — the tool
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rest — a break
  24. foot — a measure

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