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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. lean — thin
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. lean — to bend
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. swing — in golf
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bark — to shout
  18. cell — a phone
  19. swing — to play on
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. swing — music
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. lean — to rest against

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