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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. track — a path
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wind — moving air
  8. band — a music group
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bore — to tire
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wind — moving air
  18. band — a ring
  19. track — to keep track
  20. face — to point toward
  21. track — a song
  22. face — to confront
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bore — to drill

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