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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: can · saw · dip · straw · rock · toast · bore · cell

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. can — a tin
  3. toast — bread
  4. bore — to tire
  5. dip — to sink
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. rock — a stone
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. rock — music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cell — a phone
  15. saw — the tool
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bore — to drill
  23. straw — dry grass
  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