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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mark — a grade
  3. can — to be able to
  4. object — an aim
  5. field — farmland
  6. chest — a box
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. can — a tin
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. field — a subject
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. field — for sport
  13. object — a thing
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mark — a trace
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. can — a tin
  20. branch — a division
  21. chest — of your body
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. object — to protest

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