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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. tear — from crying
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. stock — shares
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stock — goods
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bound — certain
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. tear — to rip
  24. calf — a young animal

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