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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: object · bear · straw · rush · clip · bat · can · date

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. object — to protest
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. clip — a video
  13. object — a thing
  14. can — a tin
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bat — the animal
  21. clip — for paper
  22. object — an aim
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. clip — to cut

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