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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: straw · club · bound · stem · hide · cabinet · bat · snap

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. club — for golf
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. club — for dancing
  11. snap — to click
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. club — a group
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bat — in an idiom

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