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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: straw · bowl · stem · mouse · fall · chair · pass · cap

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stem — to come from
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fall — the season
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cap — a hat
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pass — a permit
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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