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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · foot · spring · temple · deal · straw

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. spring — a coil
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bulb — for light
  8. spring — the season
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. spring — of water
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. deal — to handle
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — a measure
  18. temple — side of the head

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