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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: deal · stem · spring · bulb · straw · kid · tube · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. deal — to handle
  4. kid — to tease
  5. spring — of water
  6. stem — to come from
  7. kid — child
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spring — the season
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. tube — the underground
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. tube — a container

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