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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: pop · mug · straw · plane · kick · saw · track · club

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mug — a face
  4. track — a path
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. saw — the tool
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mug — to rob
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pop — soda
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. track — to keep track
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. pop — to visit
  20. kick — in football
  21. club — a group
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. track — a song
  24. pop — 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