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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. tube — a container
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. land — a country
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. lean — to bend
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. tube — the underground
  16. spring — of water
  17. bulb — for light
  18. land — ground
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bear — the animal
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. lean — thin
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. straw — dry grass

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