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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. band — a music group
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. hand — help
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. field — a subject
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bear — the animal
  14. hand — in cards
  15. lean — thin
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. band — a ring
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. field — farmland
  22. bear — the animal
  23. field — for sport
  24. mouse — the animal

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