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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. tear — from crying
  5. row — to paddle
  6. race — humankind
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bulb — for light
  9. tear — from crying
  10. race — the arms race
  11. perch — the fish
  12. saw — the tool
  13. race — a contest
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. saw — the tool
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wave — of the sea

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