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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 116 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. scale — size or range
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. scale — in music
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. net — in sport
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. net — after costs
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pass — a permit
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bark — to shout
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stem — to come from

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