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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. saw — the tool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mate — a friend
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mate — to breed
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mate — a partner
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. lean — thin
  20. spring — of water
  21. snap — to click
  22. spring — the season
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fan — a supporter

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