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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 · saw · cabinet · last · board · straw · clip · capital

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. clip — for paper
  9. board — a committee
  10. capital — a city
  11. board — to get on
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. clip — a video
  14. saw — the tool
  15. last — to go on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. saw — the tool
  21. tube — a container
  22. capital — money
  23. tube — the underground
  24. clip — to cut

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