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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. current — electric
  11. stock — goods
  12. row — a line
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. current — of water
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stock — shares
  18. last — finally
  19. row — to paddle
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. bound — certain
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. current — happening now

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