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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bat — the animal
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chip — to eat
  11. sharp — clever
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spring — the season
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. chip — for betting
  23. spring — of water
  24. bowl — a football final

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