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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. drill — the tool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. drill — army training
  11. current — of water
  12. drill — a practice
  13. current — electric
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. current — happening now
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mine — for digging
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. calf — a young animal

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