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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. shower — rain
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fine — all right
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. shower — to wash
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — high quality
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. fork — in a road
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. can — a tin
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. can — to be able to
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lean — thin
  21. can — a tin
  22. wound — an injury
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wake — before a funeral

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