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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spell — letters
  6. mark — a grade
  7. rash — a series
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. spell — magic
  12. staff — employees
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mark — a trace
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rash — hasty
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. hand — in cards
  22. staff — employees
  23. spell — a short time
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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