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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: cell · bulb · firm · straw · mate · game · wake · hide

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. firm — a company
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. firm — decided
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bulb — for light
  11. firm — steady
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mate — to breed
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mate — a partner
  19. game — a match
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cell — a phone

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