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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: row · stem · fan · bound · straw · last · nail · chip

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. last — to go on
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. last — finally
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. chip — to eat
  11. last — final
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bound — obliged
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stem — to come from
  24. nail — for a hammer

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