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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 · game · lean · fork · dip · track · pound · straw

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. lean — thin
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. track — a path
  5. game — wild animals
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. game — a match
  8. pound — a weight
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. fork — in a road
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. track — to keep track
  18. dip — to sink
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. track — a song
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. lean — to bend
  23. tube — a container
  24. pound — for dogs

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