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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: firm · straw · rush · arm · nail · fan · jam · row

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — a company
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. row — a line
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. firm — decided
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rush — hurry
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. straw — a straw man
  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