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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. shower — rain
  4. cell — in biology
  5. tear — from crying
  6. track — a path
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. track — a song
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. spring — of water
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bore — to tire
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cell — a phone
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bore — to drill

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