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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. field — a subject
  3. key — in music
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. field — for sport
  7. deal — to handle
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. toast — bread
  18. mine — for digging
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. field — farmland
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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