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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 120 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 · straw · mine · spring · vault · board · bound · prune

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bulb — for light
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. spring — the season
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. spring — of water
  7. vault — a safe
  8. board — to get on
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mine — for digging
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. prune — to trim
  22. board — a committee
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bound — tied together

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