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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. hand — in cards
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. hand — help
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fine — high quality
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. perch — the fish
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. clip — to cut
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. clip — a video
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fine — all right
  23. branch — a division
  24. hand — part of the body

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