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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 116 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: bulb · scale · charge · snap · tear · straw · bank · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. tear — to rip
  4. snap — to click
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bank — for money
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. scale — in music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bank — for money
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. charge — in control
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bulb — for light

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