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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. root — of a plant
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stem — to come from
  6. fall — the season
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. root — the cause
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lash — an eyelash

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