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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. firm — decided
  5. craft — a skill
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. tear — to rip
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. tear — from crying
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bulb — for light
  17. march — the month
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — a company
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. craft — boats
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. patient — a sick person

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