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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. drill — the tool
  5. hand — help
  6. drill — a practice
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. current — happening now
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. current — electric
  19. cell — in biology
  20. season — of the year
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. drill — army training
  23. current — of water
  24. stem — a stem cell

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