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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bear · row · capital · straw · jam · staff · march · pitcher

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. capital — money
  3. march — the month
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. row — a line
  6. march — the month
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. staff — employees
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. capital — a city
  20. march — music
  21. row — to paddle
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. straw — a straw man
  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