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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: sharp · degree · bulb · coach · dip · jam · staff · straw

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. staff — employees
  5. degree — temperature
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bulb — for light
  10. staff — a stick
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. degree — from a university
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. staff — employees
  16. degree — an amount
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bulb — for light
  22. dip — to sink
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. dip — to dunk

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