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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: march · tube · swing · nail · jam · staff · net · straw

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. march — music
  6. net — for catching
  7. tube — the underground
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. net — in sport
  10. swing — music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. swing — to play on
  13. staff — a stick
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. march — the month
  17. staff — employees
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. tube — a container
  20. staff — employees
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. net — after costs
  23. march — the month
  24. straw — a straw man

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