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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: spell · kid · straw · rest · mug · plane · hide · tube

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  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. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rest — a break
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. spell — a short time
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tube — a container
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. rest — what's left
  12. kid — child
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. kid — to tease
  15. spell — letters
  16. mug — a face
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. spell — magic
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  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