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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. chest — a box
  3. suit — clothes
  4. mate — a partner
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. suit — in cards
  11. mate — to breed
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. suit — to fit
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. kid — to tease
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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