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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rock — music
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. rock — a stone
  17. can — a tin
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. spring — a coil
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. spring — the season
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. perch — for a bird

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