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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: stick · bulb · rash · chair · rock · club · straw · safe

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. rash — hasty
  3. club — for dancing
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rock — a stone
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. club — a group
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rock — music
  17. club — for golf
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rash — a series
  24. rock — to move gently

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