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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: nail · spring · tube · stick · track · leaves · cell · straw

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. track — a path
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. track — a song
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. spring — the season
  11. tube — the underground
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cell — a phone
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cell — in biology
  17. track — to keep track
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. spring — of water
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. nail — for a hammer

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