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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. perch — the fish
  3. fork — in a road
  4. charge — a price
  5. fall — to drop
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. fall — the season
  11. mine — for digging
  12. tear — to rip
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fall — to drop
  16. vault — a safe
  17. tear — from crying
  18. charge — electricity
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. charge — in control
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fork — a garden tool

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