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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.

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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. object — an aim
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. object — to protest
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. drill — a practice
  7. prune — to trim
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. drill — army training
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. band — a music group
  16. drill — the tool
  17. cue — for pool
  18. object — a thing
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. perch — the fish
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. band — a ring

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