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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stem — to come from
  5. spell — letters
  6. foot — a measure
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. key — the most important part
  13. spell — a short time
  14. key — for a lock
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cold — not warm
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. key — in music
  19. spell — magic
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. foot — the bottom

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