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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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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 · fork · straw · wound · mark · fine · race · stem

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mark — a grade
  4. fine — all right
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stem — to come from
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. race — humankind
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. race — a contest
  18. wound — an injury
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a trace
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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