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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. content — the amount
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. saw — the tool
  8. band — a ring
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. squash — the sport
  16. content — happy
  17. squash — to crush
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. stem — to come from
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. straw — dry grass

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