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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 116 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ground — a position
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. race — the arms race
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rule — a law
  19. race — humankind
  20. band — a ring
  21. race — a contest
  22. rule — government
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pound — for dogs

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