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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. saw — the tool
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bark — to shout
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. saw — the tool
  14. press — newspapers
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. tube — a container
  19. press — to push
  20. march — the month
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. tube — the underground
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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