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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 124 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rest — what's left
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wax — to grow
  16. tube — the underground
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. ball — a dance
  21. tube — a container
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. rest — a break

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