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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 116 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: straw · lean · bass · tube · spring · ball · rule · bear

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. tube — the underground
  3. lean — to bend
  4. spring — the season
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lean — thin
  15. spring — a coil
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. spring — of water
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ball — a dance
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bass — low music
  23. rule — a law
  24. tube — a container

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