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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. clip — a video
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. deal — to handle
  10. clip — for paper
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. can — a tin
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. clip — to cut
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. rash — hasty
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rash — a series
  19. can — a tin
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. can — to be able to

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