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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: straw · lash · chair · tube · firm · prune · lie · present

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. firm — a company
  3. present — a gift
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. firm — steady
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. present — there
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. tube — a container
  12. present — the time now
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. firm — decided
  20. chair — a leader
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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