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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. last — final
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. tube — a container
  7. can — a tin
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. last — finally
  13. spell — letters
  14. can — a tin
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. can — to be able to
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. foot — a measure
  20. snap — to click
  21. lean — to bend
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. last — to go on
  24. tube — the underground

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