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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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Word bank
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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: fork · lean · hide · spell · present · straw · mine · tear

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. present — there
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. mine — for digging
  7. spell — magic
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. present — a gift
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. spell — letters
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. lean — thin
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. tear — from crying
  24. present — the time now

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