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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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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: shower · stick · fork · bay · racket · tube · track · straw

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. tube — the underground
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. shower — rain
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. track — a path
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. tube — a container
  13. fork — in a road
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. track — a song
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. track — to keep track
  24. tube — in a tire

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