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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. track — a song
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pound — a weight
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. row — a line
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. stem — of a plant

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