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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: staff · fork · ball · clip · straw · rash · bowl · patient

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. fork — in a road
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. staff — employees
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. ball — a great time
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rash — a series
  10. ball — a dance
  11. staff — a stick
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. clip — for paper
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. clip — a video
  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