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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: rash · tube · straw · mark · staff · can · mine · fall

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mark — a trace
  4. staff — employees
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rash — a series
  8. can — a tin
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. tube — a container
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mine — for digging
  14. staff — a stick
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. can — a tin
  18. staff — employees
  19. can — to be able to
  20. fall — to drop
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. fall — the season
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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