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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. tube — the underground
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. kid — child
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. stand — to bear
  12. tube — a container
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. kid — to tease
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stem — to come from
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. straw — a straw man

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