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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rash — hasty
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. scale — in music
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. scale — size or range
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. rash — a series
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. stem — to come from
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. racket — for tennis

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