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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: mate · straw · fan · lean · staff · squash · hide · rock

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rock — music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. staff — a stick
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. staff — employees
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. squash — the sport
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. staff — employees
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mate — a friend
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mate — a partner

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