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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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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: hide · capital · bowl · perch · rock · stem · straw · lash

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. perch — the fish
  5. capital — a city
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stem — to come from
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. capital — money
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rock — music
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rock — a stone

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