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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. tear — from crying
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rest — what's left
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — boats
  8. staff — employees
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. band — a ring
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. band — a music group
  13. tear — to rip
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fall — the season
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fall — to drop
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. craft — a skill
  22. staff — employees
  23. rock — music
  24. rest — a break

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