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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. firm — steady
  3. roll — a cake
  4. firm — a company
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. mug — a face
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mug — a cup
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. firm — decided
  24. pitcher — a jug

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