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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: tube · row · drill · bay · sharp · swing · bound · straw

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. tube — a container
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bound — tied together
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bound — obliged
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. sharp — clever
  13. drill — army training
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. swing — music
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bound — certain
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. drill — the tool
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. swing — in golf

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