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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: cell · lean · staff · tube · hide · straw · sharp · rest

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. cell — in biology
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. lean — thin
  15. staff — employees
  16. tube — a container
  17. cell — a phone
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rest — a break
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rest — what's left

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