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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. game — a match
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stand — to bear
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. rock — music
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rock — a stone

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