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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: stick · staff · straw · stock · nail · lash · cue · tear

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. staff — a stick
  3. tear — to rip
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cue — for pool
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. stock — goods
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. cue — a signal
  14. stock — shares
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. staff — employees
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cue — a hint
  22. tear — from crying
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. staff — employees

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