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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: arm · cold · stand · net · prune · chip · straw · rash

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. net — in sport
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — hasty
  10. net — for catching
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chip — to eat
  15. cold — an illness
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. chip — for betting
  18. stand — to bear
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. prune — to trim
  22. net — after costs
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. cold — not warm

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