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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: row · racket · staff · stand · straw · mug · pitcher · tear

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. mug — a cup
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stand — to bear
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. staff — employees
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. tear — to rip
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. mug — a face
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. tear — from crying
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mug — to rob
  20. staff — employees
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. row — a line
  24. racket — for tennis

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