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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 · present · stick · staff · scale · hide · plane · cap

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. present — there
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. scale — size or range
  5. staff — a stick
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. cap — a hat
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cap — of ice
  12. present — a gift
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cap — a lid
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. plane — a tool
  20. present — the time now
  21. staff — employees
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. staff — employees
  24. hide — animal skin

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