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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. club — for dancing
  4. track — a song
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. staff — employees
  8. track — a path
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. club — a group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bear — the animal
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. band — a ring
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. club — for golf
  19. rash — a series
  20. stand — to bear
  21. staff — employees
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. band — a music group
  24. rash — on the skin

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