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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: wound · kick · wave · stem · straw · fork · firm · chest

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. chest — of your body
  4. firm — steady
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. chest — a box
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wound — an injury
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. firm — decided
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stem — to come from
  15. kick — in football
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. firm — a company
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fork — a garden tool

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