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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. toast — bread
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. snap — to click
  8. pop — to visit
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pop — music
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. stand — to bear
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pop — soda
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wind — to turn a key

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