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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: bulb · roll · craft · straw · club · bound · fan · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bound — obliged
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bound — certain
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bound — tied together
  14. craft — boats
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. roll — a list
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. straw — dry grass

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