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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. present — there
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. present — the time now
  5. firm — decided
  6. spell — letters
  7. present — a gift
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. firm — a company
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wake — a trail
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. firm — steady
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. stem — to come from
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fan — a supporter

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