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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pound — a weight
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. drill — a practice
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. lean — thin
  8. tube — the underground
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. drill — the tool
  12. tube — a container
  13. deal — to handle
  14. lean — to bend
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. hand — help
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. drill — army training
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. straw — dry grass

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