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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
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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: pop · hide · swing · tube · saw · sharp · rest · straw

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pop — to visit
  4. swing — to play on
  5. tube — a container
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rest — what's left
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pop — soda
  10. rest — a break
  11. saw — the tool
  12. swing — in golf
  13. tube — the underground
  14. saw — the tool
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pop — music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. swing — music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rest — what's left
  24. straw — a straw man

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