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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mine — for digging
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. mug — a face
  8. track — a song
  9. lean — thin
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lean — to bend
  17. perch — the fish
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. track — a path
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mug — to rob

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