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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. rash — a series
  7. land — ground
  8. deal — to handle
  9. craft — boats
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. land — to come down
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. root — of a word
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. tube — a container
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. craft — a skill
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. land — a country
  23. root — the cause
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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