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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 120 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. drill — a practice
  4. lean — thin
  5. kid — child
  6. bulb — for light
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kid — to tease
  13. lean — to bend
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. track — to keep track
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. tear — to rip
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. track — a song
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. tear — from crying
  23. track — a path
  24. bulb — for light

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