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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bound — tied together
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — a container
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rock — a stone
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. fork — in a road
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. lean — thin
  20. bound — certain
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rock — music
  23. squash — to crush
  24. racket — for tennis

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