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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. band — a music group
  4. field — farmland
  5. band — a ring
  6. bore — to drill
  7. key — in music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. field — a subject
  12. cell — in biology
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. key — for a lock
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cell — a phone
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bore — to tire
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. field — for sport
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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