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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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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 · bear · bass · patient · row · stem · fork · stick

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bass — the fish
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fork — in a road
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stem — to come from
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bass — low music

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