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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 116 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — a law
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mug — a face
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. rule — government
  16. mug — a cup
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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