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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spring — the season
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. ground — the earth
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ground — a position
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spell — letters
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. drill — army training
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. drill — a practice
  22. ground — crushed
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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