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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. tear — from crying
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bound — obliged
  7. tube — a container
  8. press — newspapers
  9. snap — to click
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. bound — tied together
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bound — certain
  20. press — to push
  21. bark — to shout
  22. press — a publisher
  23. tear — to rip
  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