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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 black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cell — in biology
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cell — a phone
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. lean — thin
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wound — an injury

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