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

Word bank: date · board · content · wind · dip · stem · straw · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. content — the amount
  3. stem — to come from
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. board — a committee
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. dip — to sink
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. board — to get on
  16. tube — the underground
  17. content — happy
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. tube — a container
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. date — the fruit

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