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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rush — hurry
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. band — a music group
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wake — a trail
  14. field — farmland
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. band — a ring
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. field — a subject
  22. stem — to come from
  23. field — for sport
  24. wake — before a funeral

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