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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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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: ruler · rest · straw · lean · tube · staff · wind · pitch

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lean — to bend
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. tube — a container
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rest — what's left
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rest — a break
  16. staff — employees
  17. lean — thin
  18. tube — the underground
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. staff — employees
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rest — what's left
  24. ruler — for measuring

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