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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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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: drill · stand · cabinet · lean · arm · straw · club · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. drill — a practice
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. club — a group
  9. lean — to bend
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. deal — to handle
  13. club — for golf
  14. drill — army training
  15. lean — thin
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. drill — the tool
  24. club — for dancing

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