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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. key — the most important part
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. lean — thin

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