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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 120 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: spring · ruler · straw · dip · stock · squash · staff · row

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. spring — a coil
  4. row — a line
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. spring — of water
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. staff — employees
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spring — the season
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. stock — shares
  18. squash — the sport
  19. staff — employees
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. row — to paddle
  23. squash — to crush
  24. stock — goods

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