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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 116 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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 — of a plant
  2. court — for sport
  3. perch — the fish
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. vault — a safe
  9. drill — army training
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. press — newspapers
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. press — to push
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. court — of a king
  19. bulb — for light
  20. clip — a video
  21. court — of law
  22. clip — for paper
  23. drill — a practice
  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