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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. root — of a word
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. firm — decided
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cap — a lid
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. root — of a plant
  15. clip — a video
  16. cap — of ice
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. root — the cause
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — a company
  23. cap — a hat
  24. plane — an aircraft

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