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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. present — there
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spring — the season
  5. bulb — for light
  6. prune — to trim
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. present — the time now
  9. object — to protest
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spring — a coil
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. object — an aim
  17. spring — of water
  18. present — a gift
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. object — a thing
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. coach — a trainer

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