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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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. coach — a trainer
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. clip — to cut
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. saw — the tool
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. lean — thin
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lean — to bend
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. saw — the tool
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bulb — for light
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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