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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 · rush · straw · spring · can · cold · charge · stand

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. spring — the season
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. charge — in control
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cold — an illness
  9. charge — a price
  10. cold — not warm
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. spring — of water
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. stand — to bear
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. can — a tin
  21. staff — employees
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. can — a tin

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