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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. lean — thin
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. chip — to eat
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stand — to bear
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rock — a stone
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. chip — for betting

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