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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: foot · stem · prune · kid · mate · straw · march · lie

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mate — to breed
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. kid — child
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. kid — to tease
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mate — a friend
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. foot — a measure
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. march — music
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mate — a partner
  21. march — the month
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. march — the month

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