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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: bass · rush · game · bulb · hand · can · rock · straw

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bulb — for light
  4. can — a tin
  5. bass — low music
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. can — a tin
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bass — the fish
  19. can — to be able to
  20. rock — music
  21. game — a match
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rock — a stone
  24. game — a kind of play

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