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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: lie · track · straw · tube · swing · sharp · fork · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. sharp — clever
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. lie — to recline
  8. swing — to play on
  9. track — a song
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bear — the animal
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. swing — in golf
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. swing — music
  23. tube — the underground
  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