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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 120 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 · tube · bulb · stick · bore · rush · file · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bulb — for light
  6. file — a tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bore — to drill
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. board — to get on
  13. bore — to tire
  14. file — a document
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. file — a line of people
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. rush — hurry

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