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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. root — of a word
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. last — to go on
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stock — goods
  12. root — the cause
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. last — finally
  15. prune — to trim
  16. last — final
  17. root — of a plant
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. stock — shares
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. snap — to click
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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