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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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468
Word bank
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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. swing — in golf
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. swing — music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kick — in football
  9. band — a music group
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pound — a weight
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. swing — to play on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. band — a ring
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. stem — a stem cell

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