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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: wind · straw · scale · bat · saw · dip · patient · stock

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. scale — size or range
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bat — the animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wind — moving air
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. scale — in music
  20. stock — goods
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. stock — shares
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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