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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stem — to come from
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. spring — of water
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. drill — army training
  13. spring — the season
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — in control
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bulb — for light
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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