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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fall — to drop
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bulb — for light
  7. ground — a position
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fall — the season
  13. wound — an injury
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. ground — the earth
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fall — to drop
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bulb — for light
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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