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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. shower — rain
  3. bulb — for light
  4. staff — employees
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. staff — employees
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pass — a permit
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. staff — a stick
  14. face — part of the head
  15. capital — a city
  16. shower — to wash
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bulb — for light
  24. capital — money

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