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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 116 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. staff — employees
  3. firm — decided
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. firm — steady
  13. staff — employees
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. firm — a company
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bore — to tire
  20. staff — a stick
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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