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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spring — a coil
  3. object — a thing
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. rule — a law
  6. object — an aim
  7. bulb — for light
  8. club — for golf
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. club — for dancing
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rule — government
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. club — a group
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. spring — of water
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. perch — the fish
  23. object — to protest
  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