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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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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: march · straw · saw · lean · mug · board · pitcher · rush

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. lean — thin
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. saw — the tool
  9. board — a committee
  10. mug — a face
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rush — hurry
  14. lean — to bend
  15. march — the month
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mug — a cup

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