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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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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 · pit · nail · straw · root · drill · kick · wave

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. pit — a hole
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. tube — a container
  6. root — the cause
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. drill — a practice
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. drill — army training
  13. pit — in a race
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. root — of a word
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kick — in football
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. nail — for a hammer

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