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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. shower — rain
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. row — to paddle
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bear — the animal
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. spring — of water
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. row — a line
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — a safe
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rash — a series

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