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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bore — to tire
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bulb — for light
  7. band — a music group
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bulb — for light
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bore — to drill
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bat — the animal
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. hand — help
  23. object — to protest
  24. band — a ring

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