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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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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: hide · mate · swing · stem · bear · straw · staff · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mate — a partner
  6. club — for dancing
  7. swing — in golf
  8. club — a group
  9. mate — a friend
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. staff — employees
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. swing — to play on
  14. staff — employees
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. staff — a stick
  21. swing — music
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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