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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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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: mouse · present · swing · last · firm · straw · game · stem

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. present — the time now
  4. swing — to play on
  5. game — a match
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. firm — a company
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. last — final
  14. swing — in golf
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — decided
  20. present — a gift
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. swing — music
  23. stem — to come from
  24. present — there

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