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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: drill · straw · spring · ball · kid · tube · chair · bark

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. drill — army training
  4. kid — child
  5. spring — the season
  6. ball — a great time
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bark — to shout
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. spring — of water
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. chair — a leader
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. ball — a dance
  20. drill — the tool
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. tube — a container
  23. spring — a coil
  24. kid — to tease

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