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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. march — music
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. march — the month
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. march — the month
  22. vault — a safe
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pound — a weight

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