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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: arm · straw · staff · firm · tear · rush · row · press

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. press — a publisher
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. firm — steady
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rush — hurry
  8. press — newspapers
  9. firm — a company
  10. tear — from crying
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. staff — employees
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. firm — decided
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. tear — to rip
  19. press — to push
  20. staff — employees
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. straw — dry grass

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