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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: cold · straw · current · last · bulb · saw · deal · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. deal — to handle
  4. last — finally
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mark — a grade
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bulb — for light
  15. last — to go on
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. current — of water
  20. cold — not warm
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. last — final
  24. straw — a straw man

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