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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · fall · squash · straw · stick · sharp

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. 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. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. tube — a container
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. sharp — clever
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tube — the underground
  8. squash — the sport
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. squash — to crush
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. 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