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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. drill — the tool
  5. current — happening now
  6. drill — army training
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. drill — a practice
  9. prune — to trim
  10. current — electric
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. ball — a great time
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. current — of water
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. wake — a trail

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