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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. swing — to play on
  3. root — of a plant
  4. spell — letters
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spell — magic
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. spring — the season
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. root — the cause
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pop — soda
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. spring — of water
  19. pop — music
  20. root — of a word
  21. spring — a coil
  22. swing — music
  23. spell — a short time
  24. swing — in golf

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