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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: stem · straw · current · club · march · nail · face · firm

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. face — to point toward
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. march — the month
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. club — for dancing
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. current — electric
  13. march — the month
  14. face — part of the head
  15. firm — a company
  16. stem — to come from
  17. current — of water
  18. firm — steady
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. current — happening now
  21. face — to confront
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. firm — decided
  24. march — music

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