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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 · wave · temple · straw · fork · band · club · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. club — a group
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. club — for dancing
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. club — for golf
  9. lean — thin
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bear — the animal
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. band — a ring
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. fork — in a road
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fork — to eat with

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