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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. prune — to trim
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. face — to confront
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. can — a tin
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. toast — bread
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. prune — to trim
  18. craft — a skill
  19. can — a tin
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. craft — boats
  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