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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  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. lash — a whip stroke
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cap — a hat
  13. plane — a tool
  14. game — a match
  15. bore — to tire
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. branch — a division
  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