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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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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: straw · stand · ground · cell · stick · rock · snap · tube

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tube — a container
  3. ground — the earth
  4. cell — in biology
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. tube — the underground
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. ground — crushed
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rock — music
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cell — a phone
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ground — a position

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