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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 116 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: drill · row · straw · march · wave · rush · current · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. tube — the underground
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. drill — army training
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rush — hurry
  9. march — music
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. drill — the tool
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. row — a line
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. current — electric
  19. march — the month
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. march — the month
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. drill — a practice
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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