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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. field — for sport
  6. fine — all right
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fine — high quality
  10. scale — in music
  11. wake — a trail
  12. clip — a video
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. bulb — for light
  16. toast — bread
  17. bulb — for light
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. clip — to cut
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. scale — for weighing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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