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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: straw · present · firm · patient · chest · fork · staff · can

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. present — a gift
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. chest — a box
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. can — a tin
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. chest — of your body
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. staff — employees
  14. fork — in a road
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — steady
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. staff — employees
  22. can — a tin
  23. chest — of your body
  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