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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: arm · staff · bore · straw · bat · wake · pitch · band

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pitch — completely
  3. staff — a stick
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wake — a trail
  16. band — a ring
  17. staff — employees
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. staff — employees
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. band — a music group
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. straw — dry grass

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