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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. fork — in a road
  3. tube — a container
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — a cake
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. object — to protest
  9. land — a country
  10. fall — to drop
  11. perch — the fish
  12. tube — the underground
  13. land — to come down
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. object — an aim
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. object — a thing
  21. land — ground
  22. fall — the season
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. fork — to eat with

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