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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 120 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 · present · spring · arm · rash · wax · prune · straw

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. present — there
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bulb — for light
  7. present — the time now
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. spring — the season
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rash — a series
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. spring — of water
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spring — a coil
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. prune — to trim
  20. present — a gift
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. prune — to trim
  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