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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 120 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. tear — from crying
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. tear — from crying
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. lean — thin
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. field — for sport
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. field — farmland
  14. staff — a stick
  15. tear — to rip
  16. field — a subject
  17. lean — to bend
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pass — to succeed

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