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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mug — a face
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lean — to bend
  12. cap — a lid
  13. toast — bread
  14. suit — clothes
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cap — a hat
  17. lean — thin
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mug — to rob
  21. cap — of ice
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stem — of a plant

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