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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. spring — a coil
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. spring — of water
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mug — a cup
  8. track — to keep track
  9. present — there
  10. ground — the earth
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bulb — for light
  13. spring — the season
  14. track — a path
  15. present — the time now
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bass — low music
  19. bulb — for light
  20. track — a song
  21. mug — a face
  22. present — a gift
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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