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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. clip — for paper
  3. land — to come down
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. board — a committee
  6. bulb — for light
  7. board — to get on
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. land — a country
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cue — for pool
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — to cut
  16. land — ground
  17. cue — a hint
  18. board — a flat piece

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