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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: tube · jam · kid · scale · straw · bat · bore · stand

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stand — to bear
  4. kid — to tease
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bore — to tire
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. tube — a container
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bat — the animal
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. scale — in music
  15. kid — child
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bore — to drill
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bat — in an idiom

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