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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: ground · chest · wake · stem · lie · wave · rock · straw

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rock — a stone
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. stem — to come from
  8. ground — the earth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. chest — a box
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. rock — music
  14. chest — of your body
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. ground — a position
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. lie — to recline

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