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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: straw · stem · pit · wound · staff · tube · club · bound

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bound — certain
  6. club — for dancing
  7. tube — the underground
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wound — an injury
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. bound — obliged
  14. staff — employees
  15. club — a group
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pit — in a race
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. staff — employees
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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