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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. file — a line of people
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. file — a document
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bark — to shout
  18. cell — in biology
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rest — what's left
  22. file — a tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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