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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 120 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 · rest · bulb · cabinet · hand · mark · coach · track

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bulb — for light
  6. track — a path
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hand — in cards
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — help
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. track — a song
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. rest — what's left
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bulb — for light

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