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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. file — a tool
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mine — for digging
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bulb — for light
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tube — a container
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. file — a document
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bulb — for light

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