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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 116 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: face · pound · bay · straw · stem · cue · clip · wound

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. face — to point toward
  8. clip — to cut
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — a weight
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. cue — a signal
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cue — a hint
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. face — to confront
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. cue — for pool

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