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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. spring — the season
  3. bulb — for light
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. spell — letters
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. swing — in golf
  8. spring — a coil
  9. object — a thing
  10. spell — magic
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. spell — a short time
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. object — an aim
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. object — to protest
  23. spring — of water
  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