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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. board — to get on
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. board — a committee
  9. lean — thin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wake — a trail
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bear — the animal
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. board — a flat piece

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