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

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bound — obliged
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bound — tied together
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. deal — to handle
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bound — certain
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wound — an injury
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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