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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. tube — the underground
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. net — after costs
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. net — in sport
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. root — of a word
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. root — of a plant
  16. net — for catching
  17. tube — a container
  18. root — the cause
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bowl — a football final

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