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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. firm — steady
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. hand — help
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — decided
  16. bulb — for light
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. branch — a division
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bound — obliged
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bowl — to roll

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