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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. spring — of water
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. wake — a trail
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. hand — help
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. vault — a safe
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bulb — for light
  24. spring — the season

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