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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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468
Word bank
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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 black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. club — for golf
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. club — a group
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bear — the animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. club — for dancing
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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