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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rush — hurry
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. chair — a leader
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. pitcher — a jug

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