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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: cabinet · bore · safe · snap · swing · tear · band · straw

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. swing — music
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bore — to drill
  6. swing — to play on
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bore — to tire
  10. snap — to click
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. tear — to rip
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. band — a music group
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. tear — from crying
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. tear — from crying

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