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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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Word bank
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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: lean · stem · root · straw · sharp · game · mark · wound

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. game — wild animals
  6. root — the cause
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mark — a grade
  9. lean — to bend
  10. sharp — clever
  11. game — a match
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stem — to come from
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. root — of a plant
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. lean — thin
  22. root — of a word
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. straw — a straw man

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