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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rest — a break
  3. root — of a word
  4. bark — to shout
  5. stand — to bear
  6. root — the cause
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rest — what's left
  10. squash — the sport
  11. scale — size or range
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. scale — in music
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pound — a weight
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. root — of a plant
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. straw — dry grass

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