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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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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: staff · rule · cabinet · cell · straw · pitcher · bulb · row

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. row — a line
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. row — to paddle
  5. rule — a law
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bulb — for light
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rule — government
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cell — in biology
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. staff — employees
  24. pitcher — a jug

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