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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bulb — for light
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. capital — a city
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wound — an injury
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. clip — a video
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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