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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. fall — to drop
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mate — a friend
  9. tube — a container
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. club — for golf
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bear — the animal
  15. tube — the underground
  16. club — for dancing
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mate — a partner
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. fall — the season
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bear — to put up with

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