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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · fan · clip · straw · hand · tear · rock · leaves

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. tear — to rip
  5. present — the time now
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rock — music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rock — a stone
  11. clip — to cut
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. clip — a video
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. tear — from crying
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. hand — help

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