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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wind — moving air
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. present — there
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. deal — to handle
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wind — moving air
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stem — to come from
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. ruler — a monarch

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