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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: straw · perch · object · foot · wind · chip · content · wake

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chip — to eat
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. object — to protest
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. chip — for betting
  12. content — happy
  13. foot — a measure
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. object — an aim
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wind — moving air
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. perch — the fish
  22. object — a thing
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — a trail

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