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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · clip · bulb · rash · straw · stick · wound · bat

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rash — a series
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. clip — a video
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bat — the animal
  22. clip — for paper
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. rash — hasty

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