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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. shower — rain
  3. current — electric
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mate — to breed
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bark — to shout
  10. current — of water
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. tube — the underground
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cue — for pool
  17. current — happening now
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. cue — a hint
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. straw — a straw man

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