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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. lean — thin
  7. bulb — for light
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wake — a trail
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. dip — to sink
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ball — a dance
  22. clip — a video
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. arm — part of the body

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