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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. snap — to click
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fork — in a road
  10. charge — in control
  11. wind — moving air
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. charge — a price
  16. saw — the tool
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wind — moving air
  20. charge — electricity
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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