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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 124 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rule — a law
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wax — to grow
  8. lean — thin
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mark — a grade
  11. lean — to bend
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spring — the season
  16. rule — government
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. spring — of water
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mark — a trace
  24. date — on the calendar

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