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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 120 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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chip — for betting
  6. clip — to cut
  7. stock — goods
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wind — moving air
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. perch — the fish
  18. clip — a video
  19. stock — shares
  20. bound — certain
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bound — obliged

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