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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rush — hurry
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. drill — army training
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. lean — thin
  14. bound — certain
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wax — to grow
  20. plane — a tool
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bound — tied together
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rush — a thrill

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