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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: stem · track · game · chest · straw · pass · staff · roll

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. game — a match
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. roll — a cake
  9. game — wild animals
  10. roll — a list
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. staff — employees
  16. stem — to come from
  17. staff — employees
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pass — a permit
  22. track — a song
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pass — to spend time

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