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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 120 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. shower — to wash
  5. dip — to sink
  6. march — the month
  7. shower — rain
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. march — the month
  16. wind — moving air
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. march — music
  21. stem — to come from
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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