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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pop — music
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. current — happening now
  9. pop — to visit
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pop — soda
  12. current — electric
  13. object — an aim
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bear — the animal
  17. object — a thing
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bear — the animal
  20. current — of water
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. perch — the fish
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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