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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 116 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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cell — in biology
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. kick — in football
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. cell — a phone
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a music group
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rock — music
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. band — a ring
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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