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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. present — the time now
  6. spring — the season
  7. key — in music
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. tube — a container
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. spring — of water
  14. key — the most important part
  15. present — a gift
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bulb — for light
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. lie — to recline
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. key — for a lock
  22. spring — a coil
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. present — there

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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