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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: ruler · bat · sharp · pound · stem · wave · straw · squash

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. squash — the sport
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. squash — to crush
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pound — a weight
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bat — the animal
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. sharp — exactly

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