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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: straw · row · leaves · bay · season · bore · tube · kid

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. kid — child
  4. tube — a container
  5. season — in sport
  6. bore — to tire
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. row — a line
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. season — of the year
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bore — to drill
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. kid — to tease
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — to paddle

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