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

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. file — a line of people
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wake — a trail
  6. file — a tool
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. saw — the tool
  11. file — a document
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bass — low music
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bulb — for light
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rest — what's left
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. rest — a break

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