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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. sharp — clever
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pass — a permit
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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