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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. row — to paddle
  4. clip — a video
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. clip — for paper
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bulb — for light
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bulb — for light
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rock — music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. row — a line

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