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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. 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. bulb — for light
  2. drill — army training
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bulb — for light
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. drill — the tool
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. branch — a division
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. drill — a practice
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. 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