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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bulb — for light
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. band — a music group
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bass — low music
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bulb — for light
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. band — a ring
  14. perch — the fish
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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