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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. fork — in a road
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. club — for golf
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. stem — to come from
  9. hand — in cards
  10. club — for dancing
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. ground — the earth
  14. roll — a cake
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. ground — a position
  17. swing — music
  18. hand — help
  19. swing — in golf
  20. club — a group
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. roll — a list
  23. swing — to play on
  24. ground — crushed

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