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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. land — a country
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. ball — a great time
  14. band — a ring
  15. ball — a dance
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. foot — a measure
  19. land — ground
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. band — a music group
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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