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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: face · deal · tube · rush · bore · swing · straw · rock

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bore — to tire
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. tube — a container
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bore — to drill
  18. swing — in golf
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. swing — music
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. face — to point toward
  23. deal — to handle
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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