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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.

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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 black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. dip — to sink
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. suit — clothes
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. swing — in golf
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bear — the animal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wax — to grow
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wind — moving air
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. suit — to fit
  22. swing — music
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wind — moving air

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