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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 · deal · spell · key · field · straw · roll · lean

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. spell — letters
  8. bulb — for light
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. lean — to bend
  11. field — a subject
  12. key — in music
  13. roll — a cake
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. spell — magic
  17. deal — to handle
  18. spell — a short time
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — the most important part
  21. roll — a list
  22. lean — thin
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bulb — for light

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