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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. tube — a container
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bore — to tire
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bore — to drill
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. deal — to handle
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. prune — to trim
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. stem — of a plant

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