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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: shower · wake · face · pound · pitch · stem · leaves · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. face — to confront
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stem — to come from
  16. face — part of the head
  17. shower — to wash
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. shower — rain
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pound — a weight

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