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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: date · nail · mouse · straw · rule · club · saw · stem

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. club — for golf
  3. saw — the tool
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. club — a group
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. stem — to come from
  18. saw — the tool
  19. date — the fruit
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. stem — of a plant

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