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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. suit — in cards
  3. lean — to bend
  4. tube — a container
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lean — thin
  12. suit — to fit
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — for light
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. tube — the underground
  18. club — for golf
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. club — a group
  21. suit — clothes
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wound — an injury

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