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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: object · wind · stand · straw · tear · pit · hand · suit

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. object — an aim
  3. suit — to fit
  4. tear — to rip
  5. hand — in cards
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — in a race
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wind — moving air
  14. suit — clothes
  15. stand — to bear
  16. tear — from crying
  17. object — to protest
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. object — a thing
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pit — a hole

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