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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. firm — decided
  3. current — of water
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. stem — to come from
  10. current — electric
  11. current — happening now
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. firm — steady
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. firm — a company
  18. lean — to bend
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. lean — thin
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. perch — the fish

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