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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: straw · bulb · cell · suit · face · net · bay · row

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. net — for catching
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. row — to paddle
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. face — part of the head
  9. row — a line
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. cell — a phone
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. face — to confront
  17. net — in sport
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. net — after costs

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