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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rest — what's left
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rest — what's left
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. craft — boats
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. perch — the fish
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. rest — a break
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wax — to grow
  24. craft — a skill

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