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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · straw · stem · toast · bore · present

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bore — to tire
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. present — a gift
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. present — the time now
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. present — there
  13. toast — bread
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bore — to drill
  16. stem — to come from
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. wind — moving air

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