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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. chest — a box
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lean — to bend
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. lean — thin
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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