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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 124 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: wound · snap · toast · stem · rock · straw · stand · cabinet

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rock — music
  12. toast — bread
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. snap — to click
  23. straw — dry grass
  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