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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stem — to come from
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. foot — a measure
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. pop — soda
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. kid — to tease
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. kid — child
  20. branch — a division
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — music
  24. straw — dry grass

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