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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cue — a hint
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. bound — obliged
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. spring — of water
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bound — certain
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spring — a coil
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. spring — the season
  16. cue — for pool
  17. tube — a container
  18. cue — a signal
  19. rest — a break
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. current — electric
  24. bound — tied together

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