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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fall — to drop
  12. firm — decided
  13. can — a tin
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. dip — to sink
  16. cold — an illness
  17. lean — thin
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. firm — steady
  20. cold — not warm
  21. firm — a company
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. straw — dry grass

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