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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 120 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: nail · staff · field · scale · mate · straw · charge · object

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. object — to protest
  3. charge — electricity
  4. staff — employees
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. staff — employees
  7. charge — a price
  8. object — an aim
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. field — for sport
  13. mate — a friend
  14. field — farmland
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. staff — a stick
  17. object — a thing
  18. field — a subject
  19. mate — a partner
  20. scale — size or range
  21. charge — in control
  22. scale — in music
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mate — to breed

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