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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: cabinet · game · pound · stand · fan · saw · straw · ruler

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. stand — on your feet
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. game — a match
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stand — to bear
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. saw — the tool
  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