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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wound — an injury
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. root — the cause
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bore — to tire
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bark — to shout
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. root — of a plant
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. wound — an injury
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bore — to drill
  20. root — of a word
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bore — gave birth

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