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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pop — to visit
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. swing — music
  6. pop — music
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. swing — to play on
  10. kick — in football
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pop — soda
  17. vault — a safe
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mate — a friend
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. stem — to come from
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mate — to breed
  24. kick — with a leg

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