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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: tear · fall · safe · cold · hand · pass · straw · wave

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. cold — not warm
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. pass — a permit
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hand — help
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fall — to drop
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cold — an illness
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. tear — from crying
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. fall — the season
  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