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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: band · straw · cabinet · net · row · stick · jam · cap

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. net — for catching
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. row — a line
  13. cap — of ice
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. cap — a hat
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. net — after costs
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. net — in sport
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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