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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · rash · pop · bay · hide · straw · stem · tube

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. court — of a king
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pop — music
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. court — for sport
  12. rash — hasty
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pop — soda
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. rash — a series
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. stem — to come from
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. court — of law
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. pop — to visit

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