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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 120 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: fan · tube · chair · straw · root · land · spell · tear

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. tube — the underground
  4. land — a country
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. root — the cause
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. root — of a plant
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. root — of a word
  17. chair — a leader
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. tube — a container
  22. land — to come down
  23. tear — to rip
  24. land — ground

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