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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. tube — a container
  8. clip — a video
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. branch — a division
  17. tube — the underground
  18. clip — to cut
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. clip — for paper
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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