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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: can · straw · chest · tube · bore · pitcher · suit · wake

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wake — a trail
  6. tube — a container
  7. suit — to fit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bore — to tire
  10. chest — a box
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. tube — the underground
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. suit — clothes
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. chest — of your body
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. can — a tin
  24. suit — in cards

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