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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.

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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 · face · tear · arm · drill · snap · straw · mouse

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. snap — to click
  4. face — to confront
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. face — to point toward
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. tear — from crying
  13. drill — army training
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tear — to rip
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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