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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. band — a music group
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fall — to drop
  13. band — a ring
  14. wind — moving air
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fall — the season
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to tire

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