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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. drill — the tool
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. face — to point toward
  7. present — a gift
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rock — music
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. hand — in cards
  15. present — there
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. face — to confront
  19. drill — a practice
  20. face — part of the head
  21. hand — help
  22. present — the time now
  23. wake — a trail
  24. drill — army training

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