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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cell — a phone
  3. root — the cause
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. perch — the fish
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tube — a container
  12. stem — to come from
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. root — of a word
  18. cell — in biology
  19. root — of a plant
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. tube — the underground
  24. perch — for a bird

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