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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 · current · bound · shower · safe · rule · straw · tear

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bulb — for light
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — government
  9. bound — certain
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. shower — rain
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bulb — for light
  14. tear — from crying
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. current — of water
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bound — obliged
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bound — tied together
  24. tear — to rip

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