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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: bulb · stick · straw · drill · key · bear · net · dip

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. drill — a practice
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. net — in sport
  10. key — in music
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bear — the animal
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. drill — army training
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. key — the most important part
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bear — the animal
  20. net — after costs
  21. dip — to sink
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bulb — for light
  24. net — for catching

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