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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: bear · saw · mouse · straw · tube · lie · wave · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. club — for dancing
  4. saw — the tool
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. lie — to recline
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. club — a group
  12. tube — a container
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bear — the animal
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. tube — the underground

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