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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 120 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. lean — thin
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bear — the animal
  11. craft — boats
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lean — to bend
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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