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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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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: lie · wound · rule · bulb · straw · content · shower · stand

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. content — happy
  3. wound — an injury
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rule — government
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — to bear
  13. shower — to wash
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. shower — rain
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. content — the amount

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