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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. present — there
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bulb — for light
  15. ball — a great time
  16. clip — a video
  17. branch — a division
  18. present — a gift
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. present — the time now
  23. ball — a dance
  24. stem — to come from

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