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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: bore · straw · suit · stand · tube · roll · toast · spring

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bore — to drill
  4. spring — the season
  5. roll — a list
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bore — to tire
  8. roll — a cake
  9. tube — a container
  10. suit — to fit
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. stand — to bear
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. tube — the underground
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. suit — in cards
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. stand — on your feet

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