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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bulb — for light
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. face — to confront
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. hand — help
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bulb — for light
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. hand — in cards
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. face — to point toward
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. dip — to sink
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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