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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.

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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: toast · mate · present · straw · tube · chest · lean · spell

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. spell — letters
  3. tube — a container
  4. mate — to breed
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mate — a friend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. present — the time now
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. chest — a box
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mate — a partner
  17. present — a gift
  18. spell — a short time
  19. lean — thin
  20. tube — the underground
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. toast — bread
  23. spell — magic
  24. lean — to bend

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