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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: row · straw · game · rush · club · bulb · march · wound

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wound — an injury
  6. club — for dancing
  7. game — a match
  8. wound — an injury
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. march — the month
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. game — wild animals
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. club — a group
  17. row — a line
  18. march — the month
  19. rush — hurry
  20. march — music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. club — for golf

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