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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.

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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: drill · stem · cold · stand · nail · board · staff · straw

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cold — not warm
  8. drill — a practice
  9. staff — a stick
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cold — an illness
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. board — a committee
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. board — to get on
  18. drill — army training
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. drill — the tool
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. stand — to bear
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. staff — employees

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