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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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bat — the animal
  11. clip — a video
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. band — a music group
  15. bulb — for light
  16. clip — for paper
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. band — a ring
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. clip — to cut

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