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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: bowl · tube · scale · straw · bore · wake · cabinet · mine

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wake — a trail
  8. scale — size or range
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. tube — a container
  22. mine — for digging
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. scale — in music

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