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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. hand — help
  6. bound — tied together
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. object — an aim
  14. bound — obliged
  15. field — farmland
  16. bound — certain
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. hand — in cards
  20. tube — the underground
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — to protest
  23. bulb — for light
  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