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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stock — goods
  3. spring — a coil
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. last — finally
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. prune — to trim
  9. last — to go on
  10. spring — the season
  11. stock — shares
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. prune — to trim
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. last — final
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. spring — of water

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