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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 120 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. lean — to rest against
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. stem — to come from
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. lean — to bend
  10. prune — to trim
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. prune — to trim
  13. kid — child
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. kid — to tease
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lean — thin
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. sharp — exactly
  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