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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: lean · straw · sharp · tear · bowl · cell · object · staff

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. object — an aim
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. staff — employees
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. staff — employees
  12. lean — thin
  13. object — a thing
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. tear — from crying
  16. object — to protest
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. staff — a stick
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. tear — to rip
  22. lean — to bend
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. tear — from crying

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