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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wake — a trail
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wax — to grow
  18. mine — for digging
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ground — crushed
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. hide — animal skin

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