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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. field — a subject
  3. bear — the animal
  4. tube — a container
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. field — farmland
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bear — the animal
  10. firm — a company
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wind — moving air
  13. tube — the underground
  14. firm — decided
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wind — moving air
  22. field — for sport
  23. snap — to click
  24. firm — steady

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