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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. lie — to recline
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. root — of a plant
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. hand — help
  10. net — after costs
  11. hand — in cards
  12. root — the cause
  13. net — for catching
  14. root — of a word
  15. wake — a trail
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wind — moving air
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wind — moving air
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. net — in sport
  24. lie — an untruth

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