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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: foot · lean · bat · vault · bulb · press · last · straw

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. lean — to bend
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. last — finally
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. last — to go on
  7. bat — the animal
  8. foot — a measure
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. press — to push
  14. bulb — for light
  15. vault — a safe
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lean — thin
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. press — newspapers

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