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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 116 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. band — a ring
  7. wax — to grow
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. swing — to play on
  10. pit — in a race
  11. band — a music group
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. swing — music
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. stand — to bear
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. swing — in golf
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. squash — to crush
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. band — a rubber band

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