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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: stand · squash · bark · staff · straw · cap · bank · face

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bank — for money
  5. staff — employees
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bark — to shout
  11. cap — a hat
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bank — of a river
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. bank — for money
  20. staff — employees
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. staff — a stick
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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