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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. land — to come down
  5. vault — a safe
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. land — ground
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. land — a country
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. squash — to crush
  16. snap — to click
  17. squash — the sport
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. straw — dry grass

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