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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 124 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bear — the animal
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. chip — to eat
  15. hand — help
  16. chip — for betting
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mark — a trace
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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