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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. tear — to rip
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tube — a container
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. saw — the tool
  24. straw — a straw man

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