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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tube · prune · straw · march · tear · chair · mark · rush

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. prune — to trim
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. march — the month
  8. mark — a grade
  9. tear — from crying
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. march — music
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mark — a trace
  16. tube — a container
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. chair — a leader
  20. march — the month
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tear — to rip

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