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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. deal — to handle
  7. shower — to wash
  8. row — a line
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wind — moving air
  14. shower — rain
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wind — moving air
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. row — a quarrel

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