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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 116 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. track — a song
  4. charge — in control
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. track — a path
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. track — to keep track
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stem — to come from
  13. charge — electricity
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. tear — to rip
  16. charge — a price
  17. tear — from crying
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stand — to bear
  24. tear — from crying

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