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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. face — to confront
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bear — the animal
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. root — of a word
  22. face — part of the head
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. root — the cause

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