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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 · racket · roll · straw · firm · wake · net · mug

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. tube — a container
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. net — after costs
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mug — a face
  8. firm — a company
  9. roll — a list
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. firm — decided
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. net — in sport
  15. wake — a trail
  16. roll — a cake
  17. net — for catching
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — to rob
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. firm — steady
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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