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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bound — certain
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — tied together
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. sharp — clever
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. straw — a straw man

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