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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: bowl · saw · march · prune · tear · straw · rash · pass

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. saw — the tool
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rash — hasty
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. tear — from crying
  21. march — the month
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. prune — the fruit

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