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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. race — a contest
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. race — humankind
  5. wax — to grow
  6. net — in sport
  7. spring — of water
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. track — to keep track
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spring — a coil
  12. track — a song
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. spring — the season
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. net — after costs
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. race — the arms race
  20. net — for catching
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. track — a path
  24. wax — for sculpting

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