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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lean — thin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. date — the fruit
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. game — a match
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. press — newspapers
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bound — obliged
  22. toast — bread
  23. game — wild animals
  24. stem — to come from

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