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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 120 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: tube · prune · drill · straw · squash · lean · season · calf

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. drill — a practice
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. season — of the year
  9. prune — to trim
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — thin
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. squash — the sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. drill — the tool
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. squash — to crush
  21. season — in sport
  22. tube — a container
  23. drill — army training
  24. tube — the underground

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