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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: track · cabinet · staff · hand · bore · straw · plane · mine

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bore — to drill
  7. track — a song
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hand — help
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. staff — employees
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bore — to tire

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