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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: tube · foot · straw · stem · ground · mark · lean · rest

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mark — a trace
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. rest — what's left
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. ground — a position
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. mark — a grade
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. rest — a break
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. stem — to come from
  21. foot — a measure
  22. ground — the earth
  23. lean — to bend
  24. ground — crushed

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