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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: firm · cue · bark · stand · straw · temple · chair · land

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — for pool
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. stand — to bear
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. land — ground
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. cue — a signal
  19. land — to come down
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. firm — steady
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. land — a country

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