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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 116 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. spring — a coil
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. kick — in football
  12. tube — the underground
  13. dip — to sink
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. tube — a container
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. band — a music group
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. band — a ring

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