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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: wound · straw · mouse · prune · bound · squash · bulb · game

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bound — tied together
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. squash — the sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bound — certain
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wound — an injury

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