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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: saw · bulb · lean · rest · bowl · straw · jam · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. lean — to bend
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lean — thin
  10. saw — the tool
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rest — what's left
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. rest — a break
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bulb — for light
  24. jam — in traffic

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