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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: straw · leaves · perch · bulb · snap · club · key · prune

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bulb — for light
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. perch — the fish
  8. snap — to click
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. key — the most important part
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. key — for a lock
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. prune — to trim
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. club — a group
  20. key — in music
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. club — for golf
  23. bulb — for light
  24. straw — a straw man

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