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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: straw · content · mark · mate · spell · wake · roll · bulb

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. content — the amount
  7. mate — to breed
  8. spell — a short time
  9. roll — a list
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. roll — a cake
  12. mate — a friend
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wake — a trail
  15. spell — magic
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. spell — letters
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mark — a trace
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mate — a partner

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