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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stem — to come from
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. ground — the earth
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. ground — a position
  12. bulb — for light
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rash — hasty
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. lean — to bend
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bat — the animal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rash — a series
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bulb — of a plant

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