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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: stem · key · bound · bat · clip · straw · face · jam

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. key — for a lock
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bound — certain
  8. face — part of the head
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bound — obliged
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. clip — to cut
  19. key — in music
  20. face — to confront
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. clip — a video
  23. key — the most important part
  24. straw — dry grass

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