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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: stem · cell · swing · straw · kid · leaves

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. stem — to come from
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. kid — to tease
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — child
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cell — a phone
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree

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