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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: tube · press · spring · ruler · stick · straw · foot · court

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. court — for sport
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. press — a publisher
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. tube — the underground
  12. foot — a measure
  13. press — to push
  14. spring — of water
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spring — a coil
  18. tube — a container
  19. spring — the season
  20. court — of law
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. press — newspapers
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. court — of a king

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