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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. row — a line
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. mate — a partner
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wax — to grow
  19. row — to paddle
  20. kick — in football
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. kick — a thrill

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