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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. rest — what's left
  3. track — a song
  4. band — a music group
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. prune — to trim
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. band — a ring
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rest — a break
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. tube — the underground
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. deal — to handle
  23. tube — a container
  24. rest — what's left

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