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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. ground — the earth
  6. chest — of your body
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. stem — to come from
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. ground — a position
  13. chest — of your body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ground — crushed
  16. board — to get on
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. saw — the tool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. lie — to recline
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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