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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: mouse · stick · fan · kid · object · drill · jam · straw

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. kid — child
  3. drill — the tool
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. drill — army training
  6. object — to protest
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. kid — to tease
  14. object — an aim
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. object — a thing
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. drill — a practice
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. mouse — the animal

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