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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: mug · straw · saw · stem · squash · temple · fall · bowl

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mug — a face
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stem — to come from
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. fall — the season

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