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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rock — a stone
  8. mate — a partner
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rock — music
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. game — a match
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wind — moving air
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. cell — a phone
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rush — hurry
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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