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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. prune — to trim
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bound — tied together
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — clothes
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. suit — to fit
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bound — certain
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wax — to grow
  20. board — to get on
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. board — a committee
  24. cold — not warm

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