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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 · pass · spring · rule · straw · fork · rash · net

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rash — a series
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. spring — of water
  6. rash — hasty
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. net — in sport
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. net — for catching
  14. pass — a permit
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rule — government
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rule — a law
  23. net — after costs
  24. straw — dry grass

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