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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. race — humankind
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. fork — in a road
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. capital — money
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. capital — a city
  24. arm — part of the body

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