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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 120 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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cap — a hat
  4. tear — to rip
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — a price
  7. cap — of ice
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. charge — electricity
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. tear — from crying
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mug — a cup
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bark — to shout
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mug — a face
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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