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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 120 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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. object — a thing
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. shower — to wash
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — an aim
  14. cold — not warm
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. swing — music
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. swing — in golf
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cold — an illness
  23. stand — to bear
  24. swing — to play on

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