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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: staff · straw · clip · vault · calf · stem · lash · track

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. track — a song
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. clip — to cut
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. track — to keep track
  10. staff — a stick
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. vault — a safe
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. staff — employees
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. track — a path
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. staff — employees
  22. stem — to come from
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. straw — dry grass

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