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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. file — a document
  3. tube — the underground
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bulb — for light
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. staff — employees
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. staff — employees
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. staff — a stick
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. straw — dry grass
  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