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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · saw · straw · bay · cold · root · ball · fan

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. root — of a word
  6. cold — an illness
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tube — a container
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ball — a dance
  15. root — the cause
  16. ball — a great time
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. saw — the tool
  23. root — of a plant
  24. straw — a straw man

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