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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. prune — to trim
  5. chip — for betting
  6. row — a line
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. snap — to click
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. chip — to eat
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. row — to paddle
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. branch — of a bank
  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