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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: straw · land · stick · field · stand · staff · pound · lash

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. field — farmland
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — to bear
  9. field — a subject
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. staff — employees
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pound — a weight
  22. staff — employees
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. field — for sport

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