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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · pitcher · straw · kid · prune · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. prune — to trim
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kid — child
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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