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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: stick · bay · wave · dip · swing · staff · cue · straw

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. staff — employees
  4. dip — to sink
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cue — a signal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. swing — music
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. staff — employees
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. cue — for pool
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. staff — a stick

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