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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. last — finally
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mine — for digging
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. last — final
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. stem — to come from
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. tube — a container
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tube — the underground
  22. last — to go on
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. tube — in a tire

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