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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: field · bulb · lash · bass · straw · branch · stick · content

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. field — farmland
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bass — low music
  6. content — happy
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. field — for sport
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. content — the amount
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. field — a subject
  20. bass — the fish
  21. branch — a division
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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