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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 · bear · band · deal · straw · racket · mark · swing

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. deal — to handle
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. mark — a grade
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bear — the animal
  16. band — a music group
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. swing — to play on

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