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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: rest · row · object · stem · straw · scale · kid · prune

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. kid — child
  4. scale — in music
  5. object — an aim
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rest — what's left
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. object — to protest
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rest — a break
  14. kid — to tease
  15. scale — size or range
  16. object — a thing
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. prune — to trim
  24. row — a line

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