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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. toast — bread
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. season — of the year
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. swing — in golf
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. swing — to play on
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. swing — music
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pound — a weight
  17. lean — thin
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stem — to come from
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. season — in sport

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