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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: ball · nail · chair · straw · cell · fork · tear · tube

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cell — in biology
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cell — a phone
  13. ball — a dance
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. tear — to rip

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