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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lean — thin
  3. track — a path
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. track — a song
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. dip — to sink
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. track — to keep track
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lean — to bend
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. straw — dry grass

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