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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. hand — help
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wax — to grow
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. lie — to recline
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. prune — to trim

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