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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 116 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: hand · club · staff · mark · straw · nail · mine · rock

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. staff — employees
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mark — a trace
  5. club — for dancing
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mark — a grade
  13. hand — help
  14. club — for golf
  15. staff — a stick
  16. club — a group
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rock — music
  19. mine — for digging
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. staff — employees

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