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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: cabinet · current · bat · ground · swing · straw · bark · bulb

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. current — of water
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ground — a position
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bat — the animal
  10. ground — the earth
  11. current — happening now
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. swing — music
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. swing — to play on
  20. current — electric
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bulb — for light

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