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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 120 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: swing · fan · straw · stem · lie · wake · cap · temple

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. swing — in golf
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stem — to come from
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. swing — music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. swing — to play on
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wake — a trail
  23. lie — to recline
  24. temple — a place of worship

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