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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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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: tear · dip · row · pitch · mouse · staff · bank · straw

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bank — for money
  10. staff — a stick
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bank — for money
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. dip — to sink
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. tear — to rip
  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