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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pop — music
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. tear — to rip
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pop — to visit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rash — hasty
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pop — soda
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. tear — from crying
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rash — a series
  24. squash — to crush

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