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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 116 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: straw · bear · mouse · stick · march · cabinet · bore · mine

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. march — music
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bore — to drill
  18. march — the month
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. march — the month
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. straw — a straw man

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