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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: kid · straw · fork · bowl · rash · bulb · roll · dip

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. rash — a series
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. roll — a cake
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. roll — a list
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. dip — to sink
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — hasty
  18. kid — child
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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