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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wake — a trail
  8. spell — letters
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. root — of a word
  11. sharp — clever
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. spell — magic
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. saw — the tool
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. charge — in control
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stem — a stem cell

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