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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
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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: roll · wave · straw · kick · field · lean · scale · tube

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. lean — thin
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. roll — a cake
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. roll — a list
  8. kick — in football
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. lean — to bend
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. field — a subject
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. field — farmland
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. scale — in music
  22. field — for sport
  23. scale — size or range
  24. tube — a container

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