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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · rash · stand · stem · key · date · dip · roll

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stem — to come from
  6. key — in music
  7. roll — a cake
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stand — to bear
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. roll — a list
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. dip — to sink
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rash — a series
  24. date — the fruit

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