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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: coach · straw · cold · ruler · jam · mouse · staff · tube

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. tube — a container
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. staff — employees
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cold — an illness
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. tube — the underground

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