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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rest — what's left
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. game — a match
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. branch — a division
  9. game — wild animals
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. stem — to come from
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. vault — a safe
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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