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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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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: dip · stand · racket · drill · club · wind · staff · straw

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. club — for golf
  3. staff — a stick
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. staff — employees
  7. wind — moving air
  8. staff — employees
  9. dip — to sink
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. drill — a practice
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. club — a group
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. club — for dancing
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. drill — army training
  24. straw — a straw man

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