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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: straw · bound · ruler · stem · board · staff · bark · pitcher

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bound — obliged
  3. staff — a stick
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bark — to shout
  7. board — to get on
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. staff — employees
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. staff — employees
  16. board — a committee
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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