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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. lie — to recline
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. content — the amount
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. current — electric
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. current — happening now
  11. hand — help
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. current — of water
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. content — happy
  18. hand — in cards
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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