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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. hand — help
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rule — a law
  6. prune — to trim
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — decided
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. band — a music group
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. land — a country
  14. firm — a company
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. land — to come down
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rule — government
  21. band — a ring
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rock — music
  24. land — ground

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