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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. spell — magic
  3. kick — in football
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. mine — for digging
  13. tear — from crying
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. tear — to rip
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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