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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. club — for golf
  3. stem — to come from
  4. club — a group
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. can — a tin
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. can — a tin
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bat — the animal
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. club — for dancing
  24. calf — of the 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