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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 · spell · rule · arm · tear · fork · deal · straw

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. lean — thin
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. fork — in a road
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. tear — from crying
  10. deal — to handle
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rule — a law
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. spell — magic
  19. rule — government
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spell — letters
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. tear — to rip

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