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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 got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cell — a phone
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. kid — child
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cell — in biology
  16. perch — the fish
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kid — to tease
  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