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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. track — to keep track
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bear — the animal
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. shower — rain
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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