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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. tube — the underground
  3. race — a contest
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stem — to come from
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. tube — a container
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. race — humankind
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. root — of a word

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