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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. firm — a company
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. clip — a video
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. mug — a face
  9. firm — decided
  10. mark — a grade
  11. firm — steady
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mug — a cup
  14. lean — to bend
  15. spring — the season
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lean — thin
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mug — to rob
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. straw — a straw man

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