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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: straw · bulb · present · staff · hide · cue · mate · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mate — a partner
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. present — the time now
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cue — a signal
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wound — an injury
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cue — for pool
  17. present — there
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. present — a gift
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bulb — for light
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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