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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. saw — the tool
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. stem — to come from
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. plane — a tool
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. saw — the tool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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