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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. lie — to recline
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bank — for money
  6. scale — size or range
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. dip — to sink
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stem — to come from
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bank — for money
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. swing — to play on
  18. scale — in music
  19. swing — music
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bank — of a river
  23. dip — to dunk
  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