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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. current — electric
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lean — thin
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. spring — the season
  9. cue — a signal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. current — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. cue — a hint
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. spring — of water
  17. cue — for pool
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lean — to bend
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. spring — a coil

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