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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 120 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: wind · stick · fine · tube · pound · straw · bore · last

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tube — a container
  7. bore — to drill
  8. fine — all right
  9. last — finally
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bore — to tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. last — to go on
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. wind — moving air
  23. last — final
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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