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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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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 · snap · bore · dip · content · straw · bulb · ruler

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bulb — for light
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bore — to drill
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. dip — to sink
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cold — an illness
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — happy
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bulb — for light
  16. snap — to click
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bore — to tire
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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