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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spring — a coil
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. spring — of water
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. tear — from crying
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. tear — to rip
  12. date — the fruit
  13. tear — from crying
  14. spring — the season
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fork — in a road
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. snap — to click

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