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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bore — to tire
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. snap — to click
  5. face — to confront
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bear — the animal
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. tube — a container
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bear — the animal
  18. face — to point toward
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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