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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rock — music
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. field — a subject
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bat — the animal
  18. branch — a division
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bulb — for light
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mug — to rob
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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