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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bulb — for light
  5. press — to push
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. press — a publisher
  17. race — humankind
  18. press — newspapers
  19. swing — in golf
  20. race — a contest
  21. prune — to trim
  22. swing — music
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bear — the animal

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