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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. plane — a tool
  6. content — the amount
  7. bulb — for light
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. kid — to tease
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. content — happy
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. prune — to trim
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bulb — for light
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. kid — child

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