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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 · last · straw · bowl · lean · net · hand · suit

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. net — in sport
  3. last — finally
  4. tube — the underground
  5. suit — clothes
  6. hand — help
  7. suit — in cards
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. last — final
  12. suit — to fit
  13. last — to go on
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. lean — to bend
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. tube — a container
  21. net — after costs
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. net — for catching

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