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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: straw · pop · coach · saw · ground · temple · bark · bulb

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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. ground — a position
  2. pop — music
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pop — soda
  10. bulb — for light
  11. ground — crushed
  12. saw — the tool
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pop — to visit
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bark — to shout
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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