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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · file · straw · rash · clip · stick · tube · roll

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. roll — a cake
  5. saw — the tool
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. roll — a list
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. tube — the underground
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. clip — for paper
  15. file — a tool
  16. tube — a container
  17. saw — the tool
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. clip — a video
  20. file — a document
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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