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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 116 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. spell — a short time
  3. staff — employees
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. spell — magic
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mate — a partner
  12. staff — a stick
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. staff — employees
  16. spell — letters
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mate — to breed
  20. tear — to rip
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mate — a friend
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. perch — for a bird

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