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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: lean · bay · mine · staff · pound · straw · rock · chest

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rock — a stone
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. chest — of your body
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. chest — a box
  11. staff — employees
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — a weight
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. staff — employees
  20. lean — to bend
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. rock — music
  24. staff — a stick

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