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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pop — music
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. last — final
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. craft — boats
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. stem — to come from
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pop — to visit
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. perch — the fish
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pop — soda
  21. last — to go on
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. craft — a skill

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