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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stem — to come from
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. foot — a measure
  6. root — of a plant
  7. tube — a container
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fall — the season
  18. clip — a video
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. root — the cause
  21. saw — the tool
  22. clip — to cut
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. clip — for paper

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