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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: straw · current · stem · march · arm · hide · root · snap

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. march — the month
  4. stem — to come from
  5. current — electric
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. root — the cause
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. current — happening now
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. snap — to click
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. current — of water
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. root — of a plant
  20. march — the month
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. root — of a word

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