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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. cold — not warm
  4. firm — a company
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. foot — a measure
  7. cold — an illness
  8. firm — steady
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. firm — decided
  13. ground — a position
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — the earth
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. stem — to come from
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. calf — a young animal

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