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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 124 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: bear · field · straw · chip · chest · rule · bulb · bass

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. field — farmland
  6. bass — the fish
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rule — government
  11. bass — low music
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bulb — for light
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bulb — for light
  17. field — for sport
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. chip — to eat
  22. field — a subject
  23. rule — a law
  24. chip — for betting

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