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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 124 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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. kid — child
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kid — to tease
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. scale — in music
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stem — to come from
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. swing — in golf

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