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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. press — newspapers
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. clip — a video
  7. press — to push
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fall — the season
  12. bulb — for light
  13. press — a publisher
  14. root — the cause
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. game — a match
  17. clip — to cut
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bulb — for light
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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