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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · fan · land · pitcher · kid · saw · race · stand

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. race — humankind
  12. saw — the tool
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. land — a country
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. land — to come down
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. land — ground

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