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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 120 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. band — a music group
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. tube — a container
  8. sharp — clever
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. saw — the tool
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. tube — the underground
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. stock — shares
  23. band — a ring
  24. stock — goods

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