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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. club — for dancing
  7. prune — to trim
  8. kick — in football
  9. club — for golf
  10. staff — employees
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fall — to drop
  19. staff — employees
  20. bear — the animal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. staff — a stick
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. club — a group

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