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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. object — to protest
  3. root — the cause
  4. hand — help
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. object — an aim
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. object — a thing
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. lean — thin
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. nail — on a finger

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