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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bulb — for light
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. current — happening now
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. land — to come down
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. land — a country
  9. scale — size or range
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. scale — in music
  17. land — ground
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. current — of water
  20. bulb — for light
  21. staff — employees
  22. wax — to grow
  23. current — electric
  24. straw — a straw man

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