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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. fall — to drop
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fall — the season
  9. cue — a signal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. firm — decided
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. cue — for pool
  15. spring — of water
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. spring — the season
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spring — a coil
  20. firm — steady
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bear — the animal
  23. firm — a company
  24. mine — belonging to me

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