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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: object · staff · cap · saw · ground · face · rock · straw

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cap — a hat
  3. face — to point toward
  4. object — to protest
  5. saw — the tool
  6. object — an aim
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. face — part of the head
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. cap — a lid
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rock — music
  16. object — a thing
  17. ground — crushed
  18. staff — employees
  19. ground — a position
  20. face — to confront
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rock — a stone
  24. ground — the earth

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