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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: tube · spring · craft · rash · straw · branch · rock · lie

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. lie — to recline
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. tube — the underground
  6. spring — the season
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. tube — a container
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rock — music
  12. branch — a division
  13. rash — a series
  14. craft — boats
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rock — a stone
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rash — hasty
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rash — on the skin

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