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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. tube — a container
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. ball — a dance
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. season — in sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tube — the underground
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. season — of the year
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rush — a thrill

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