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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: rule · bulb · perch · snap · jam · rest · wind · straw

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wind — moving air
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bulb — for light
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bulb — for light
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. rule — a law
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. snap — to click
  20. rest — a break
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. perch — the fish
  24. jam — in traffic

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