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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: fan · band · straw · kid · board · staff · fine · arm

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. band — a ring
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. staff — employees
  9. fine — all right
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. kid — child
  12. staff — employees
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. board — to get on
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fine — high quality
  17. band — a music group
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. kid — to tease
  21. staff — a stick
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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