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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. current — of water
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spring — a coil
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. spring — the season
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. tear — to rip
  13. current — happening now
  14. spring — of water
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mark — a trace
  18. current — electric
  19. tear — from crying
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mark — a grade
  24. nail — for a hammer

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