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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: squash · cabinet · straw · plane · wound · staff · rock · cell

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. rock — a stone
  7. staff — employees
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. squash — to crush
  11. staff — a stick
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. staff — employees
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rock — music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cell — a phone
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. plane — a tool
  23. squash — the sport
  24. cell — in biology

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