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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: bulb · degree · straw · jam · bound · toast · clip · wound

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. degree — temperature
  3. clip — to cut
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. bound — tied together
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bound — certain
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. toast — bread
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. clip — a video
  15. degree — an amount
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bulb — for light
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bound — obliged
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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