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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 124 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bulb — for light
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. cold — an illness
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. shower — to wash
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. shower — rain
  18. bulb — for light
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. saw — the tool
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cold — not warm
  24. toast — bread

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