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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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mug — a face
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. content — happy
  16. swing — music
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. branch — a division
  20. swing — in golf
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. branch — of a bank

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