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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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. root — of a word
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. season — of the year
  6. degree — an amount
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — a safe
  10. root — of a plant
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. degree — from a university
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stock — shares
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. root — the cause
  20. wax — to grow
  21. season — in sport
  22. degree — temperature
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — an agreement

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