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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pass — a permit
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. root — of a word
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stem — to come from
  9. root — of a plant
  10. band — a ring
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. band — a music group
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. squash — to crush
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. root — the cause
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wind — moving air
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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