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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rash — hasty
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. roll — a list
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pound — a weight
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. roll — a cake
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. prune — to trim
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rash — a series
  18. board — a committee
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. deal — to handle
  24. straw — dry grass

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