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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bark — to shout
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spring — the season
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — of water
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bulb — for light
  24. clip — to cut

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