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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 112 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. rock — a stone
  4. current — happening now
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. current — of water
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. spring — the season
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. current — electric
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. straw — dry grass

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