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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. tube — the underground
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. lie — to recline
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. spell — a short time
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. spell — letters
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wind — moving air
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. tube — a container
  23. spell — magic
  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