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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. key — in music
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. date — the fruit
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. land — ground
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. key — for a lock
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bulb — for light
  17. land — to come down
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bark — to shout
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. land — a country

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