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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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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: deal · tube · prune · staff · stick · degree · lean · straw

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. degree — temperature
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. lean — thin
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. lean — to bend
  9. degree — an amount
  10. tube — a container
  11. staff — employees
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. prune — to trim
  17. deal — to handle
  18. staff — employees
  19. prune — to trim
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. staff — a stick

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