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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. tear — to rip
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stem — to come from
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. lean — thin
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lean — to bend
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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