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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 120 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mug — a cup
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. march — the month
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rash — a series
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. ball — a dance
  10. march — music
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mug — a face
  17. row — a line
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. march — the month
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mug — to rob

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