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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 116 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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bank — for money
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bulb — for light
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rash — a series
  9. bulb — for light
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. key — in music
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bank — for money
  14. fall — the season
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bank — of a river
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fall — to drop
  24. kick — in football

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