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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 124 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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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. wax — to grow
  4. cue — a hint
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. shower — rain
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cue — for pool
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. shower — to wash
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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