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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. march — the month
  3. dip — to sink
  4. stock — goods
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. tube — a container
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. row — to paddle
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stock — shares
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. tube — the underground
  18. rash — a series
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. march — the month
  22. row — a line
  23. rash — hasty
  24. march — music

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