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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: hand · straw · tube · snap · fork · mouse · lean · scale

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. tube — the underground
  4. lean — to bend
  5. scale — in music
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fork — in a road
  9. lean — thin
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. scale — size or range
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. snap — to click
  18. tube — a container
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. scale — for weighing

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