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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cell — in biology
  4. root — of a plant
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. kid — child
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. root — the cause
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cell — a phone
  19. dip — to sink
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stem — to come from
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. dip — a sauce

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