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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bulb — for light
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. plane — a tool
  7. spring — of water
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pop — to visit
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pop — soda
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pop — music
  21. spring — a coil
  22. charge — in control
  23. spring — the season
  24. mouse — for a computer

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