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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: stick · straw · squash · pass · wind · land · jam · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. squash — to crush
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. tear — from crying
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. squash — the sport
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wind — moving air
  21. land — a country
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tear — to rip
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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