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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bulb — for light
  5. snap — to click
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. march — the month
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. tube — a container
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. march — the month
  23. tube — the underground
  24. ruler — a monarch

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