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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. shower — rain
  3. season — of the year
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bulb — for light
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lean — thin
  12. bulb — for light
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. shower — to wash
  18. season — in sport
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. straw — dry grass
  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