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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: cabinet · chest · rock · lean · cap · track · straw · stem

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rock — music
  5. cap — of ice
  6. rock — a stone
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. lean — to bend
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. stem — to come from
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. lean — thin
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. track — a path
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stem — of a plant

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