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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: bulb · fine · spring · last · object · straw · staff · firm

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. last — to go on
  3. firm — steady
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. object — to protest
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. fine — all right
  9. staff — a stick
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bulb — for light
  12. last — finally
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. spring — the season
  15. firm — a company
  16. last — final
  17. object — a thing
  18. bulb — for light
  19. object — an aim
  20. spring — of water
  21. firm — decided
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. fine — a penalty

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