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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: club · straw · jam · cap · lean · staff · file · bound

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bound — obliged
  5. staff — a stick
  6. cap — of ice
  7. file — a line of people
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. lean — thin
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bound — certain
  12. staff — employees
  13. file — a tool
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. club — for golf
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bound — tied together
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. file — a document
  20. club — for dancing
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. club — a group
  23. lean — to bend
  24. staff — employees

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