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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. lie — to recline
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stem — to come from
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. swing — music
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. march — the month
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. swing — in golf
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. swing — to play on
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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