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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 drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. lean — thin
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. land — a country
  8. root — of a plant
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. root — the cause
  15. land — to come down
  16. lean — to bend
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — humankind
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. land — ground
  21. race — a contest
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. root — of a word

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