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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: band · straw · dip · nail · bear · row · net · tube

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bear — the animal
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. tube — the underground
  10. row — to paddle
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bear — the animal
  15. tube — a container
  16. band — a music group
  17. row — a line
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. net — for catching

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