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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. firm — decided
  6. clip — a video
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bound — tied together
  11. tube — a container
  12. firm — steady
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bound — certain
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. dip — to sink
  20. firm — a company
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bound — obliged

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