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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: spell · mug · tube · staff · game · track · straw · date

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. game — wild animals
  3. staff — employees
  4. date — the fruit
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. spell — magic
  8. track — a song
  9. mug — to rob
  10. game — a match
  11. staff — a stick
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. spell — letters
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. spell — a short time
  18. staff — employees
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. straw — dry grass

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