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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: spring · stick · straw · prune · row · bulb · drill · root

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. row — a line
  4. spring — the season
  5. root — of a plant
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. spring — a coil
  13. root — of a word
  14. drill — the tool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spring — of water
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. root — the cause
  20. row — to paddle
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. drill — army training

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