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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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 — dry grass
  2. tear — from crying
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. press — to push
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. tear — to rip
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lean — thin
  12. craft — a skill
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. craft — boats
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. lean — to bend
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. tear — from crying
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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