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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 116 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 · pop · fall · straw · cabinet · bark · hand · can

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fall — the season
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pop — to visit
  6. can — to be able to
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. can — a tin
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. can — a tin
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pop — soda
  17. bark — to shout
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pop — music
  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