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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. snap — to click
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. prune — to trim
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cap — a lid
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. roll — a cake
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. roll — a list
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cap — of ice

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