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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 116 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: deal · rock · branch · patient · staff · straw · lean · swing

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. staff — employees
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rock — a stone
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. staff — a stick
  9. swing — music
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rock — music
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. branch — a division
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. lean — to bend
  19. staff — employees
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — thin
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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