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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cell — in biology
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bound — tied together
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. shower — to wash
  7. cell — a phone
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. shower — rain
  10. prune — to trim
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. lean — thin
  13. rash — a series
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. prune — to trim
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bound — obliged
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bound — certain

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