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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. swing — to play on
  3. suit — in cards
  4. stem — to come from
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. wax — to grow
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. suit — to fit
  16. swing — in golf
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cold — not warm
  20. suit — clothes
  21. swing — music
  22. cold — an illness
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. calf — a young animal

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