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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fall — to drop
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. press — to push
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wound — an injury
  8. can — a tin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. press — newspapers
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fall — the season
  16. can — to be able to
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fall — to drop
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. straw — a straw man

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