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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. scale — size or range
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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