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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 124 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. spring — of water
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. spring — the season
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. spring — a coil
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cold — an illness
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lie — to recline

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