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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mug — a face
  4. prune — to trim
  5. object — an aim
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. content — the amount
  9. clip — to cut
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. mug — a cup
  12. clip — a video
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. craft — boats
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. prune — to trim
  17. content — happy
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. craft — a skill
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — to protest
  24. mug — to rob

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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