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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. lean — thin
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. capital — money
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. land — to come down
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. capital — a city
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bore — to drill
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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