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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. club — for dancing
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. kick — in football
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. stem — to come from
  9. club — for golf
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. scale — in music
  12. club — a group
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pitch — completely
  15. branch — a division
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. scale — size or range
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stem — a stem cell

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