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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: club · sharp · current · band · straw · stem · pitch · stick

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. current — of water
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pitch — completely
  8. band — a music group
  9. club — a group
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. current — electric
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stem — to come from
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — for golf
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. current — happening now
  23. band — a ring
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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