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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: lean · bulb · band · straw · can · game · date · toast

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. game — wild animals
  3. can — a tin
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — bread
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. band — a ring
  9. bulb — for light
  10. can — to be able to
  11. band — a music group
  12. lean — thin
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. game — a match
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. can — a tin

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