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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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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: straw · staff · track · nail · prune · swing · lean · mine

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mine — for digging
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. prune — to trim
  8. staff — a stick
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. track — a song
  11. staff — employees
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. staff — employees
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. swing — music
  20. track — to keep track
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. lean — thin
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. swing — to play on

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