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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 120 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: stock · patient · racket · stand · stem · straw · clip · swing

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. swing — in golf
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stock — shares
  10. stem — to come from
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. swing — music
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. swing — to play on
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. stand — to bear
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stock — goods
  23. clip — for paper
  24. straw — a straw man

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