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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. saw — the tool
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. row — a line
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bat — the animal
  12. face — part of the head
  13. suit — to fit
  14. face — to confront
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. vault — a safe
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. face — to point toward
  21. suit — in cards
  22. stem — to come from
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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