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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. hand — in cards
  4. tube — a container
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. track — to keep track
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. track — a path
  15. hand — help
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. craft — boats
  20. lie — to recline
  21. track — a song
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. craft — a skill
  24. trunk — of a car

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