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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 120 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 ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fork — in a road
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. band — a music group
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. band — a ring
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wax — to grow
  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