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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. snap — to click
  3. prune — to trim
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. craft — a skill
  8. tear — to rip
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. craft — boats
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. tear — from crying
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. tear — from crying
  20. board — a committee
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a flat piece

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