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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: club · can · saw · bowl · tube · swing · straw · chair

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — a group
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. club — for golf
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chair — a leader
  16. can — a tin
  17. swing — music
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. tube — a container
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. swing — in golf
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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