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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. land — ground
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bark — to shout
  6. firm — a company
  7. can — a tin
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. firm — decided
  13. land — a country
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bulb — for light
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. land — to come down
  23. can — a tin
  24. firm — steady

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