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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rest — what's left
  4. can — a tin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. chest — a box
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. can — a tin
  12. degree — temperature
  13. lean — to bend
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. chest — of your body
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. lean — thin
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. rest — a break
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rest — what's left

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