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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. club — for golf
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. can — a tin
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bound — certain
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. can — a tin
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bound — tied together
  23. club — a group
  24. wind — moving air

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