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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pop — to visit
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fall — to drop
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tube — a container
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. pop — soda
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cell — in biology
  21. fall — the season
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pop — music
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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