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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. board — to get on
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bark — to shout
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. board — a committee
  18. wake — a trail
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. game — a match
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bulb — of a plant

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