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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 120 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. object — an aim
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. march — music
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. object — a thing
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. march — the month
  19. object — to protest
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cold — not warm

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