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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 · bay · lean · drill · tube · ground · ball · dip

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. 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. bay — a part of the sea
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. ground — crushed
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lean — to bend
  7. ground — a position
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. lean — thin
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. ground — the earth
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — the underground
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. drill — army training
  24. 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