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

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stem — to come from
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. clip — to cut
  6. press — to push
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. drill — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. swing — in golf
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. clip — a video
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. swing — music
  20. stand — to bear
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. clip — for paper
  23. swing — to play on
  24. drill — army training

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