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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ground — a position
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wake — a trail
  8. game — wild animals
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. game — a match
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rock — a stone
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rush — hurry
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rock — music
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. ground — the earth
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mouse — the animal

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