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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: row · tube · wake · lie · ground · bat · deal · straw

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. lie — to recline
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. tube — a container
  6. ground — crushed
  7. row — a line
  8. ground — the earth
  9. row — to paddle
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. ground — a position
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. deal — to handle
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wake — a trail
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. tube — the underground

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