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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. vault — a safe
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. tear — from crying
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. shower — rain
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. shower — to wash

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