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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: stock · fall · trunk · deal · straw · drill · tube · perch

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fall — the season
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. deal — to handle
  8. drill — a practice
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tube — the underground
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. tube — a container
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. stock — shares
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. drill — the tool
  18. perch — the fish
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. stock — goods
  21. fall — to drop
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. drill — army training
  24. deal — an agreement

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