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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. row — a line
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. object — to protest
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. sharp — clever
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bank — for money
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bank — of a river
  16. object — an aim
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bark — to shout
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. object — a thing
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bank — for money

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