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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 120 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: tube · pass · stick · straw · root · fall · rash · spring

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a plant
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. spring — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. spring — of water
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fall — to drop
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. root — of a word
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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