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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: band · straw · bulb · object · suit · row · spell · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. band — a music group
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. row — a line
  6. bulb — for light
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. spell — a short time
  9. suit — in cards
  10. band — a ring
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. suit — to fit
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. bulb — for light
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. object — an aim
  19. row — to paddle
  20. object — a thing
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. object — to protest

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