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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.

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: wake · tube · track · current · stick · coach · kick · straw

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. track — a path
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. current — of water
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wake — a trail
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. current — happening now
  15. kick — in football
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. track — to keep track
  21. tube — a container
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. current — electric

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