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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: swing · bass · file · bulb · wound · staff · suit · straw

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bulb — for light
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bass — low music
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. file — a line of people
  14. suit — clothes
  15. staff — a stick
  16. file — a tool
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wound — an injury
  20. suit — to fit
  21. staff — employees
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. swing — music
  24. file — a document

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