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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. spell — letters
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. swing — music
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bass — the fish
  13. spell — magic
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. swing — in golf
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bulb — for light
  23. roll — a list
  24. arm — a part of something

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