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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. press — to push
  4. mug — a cup
  5. clip — to cut
  6. spring — of water
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spell — letters
  11. mug — a face
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mug — to rob
  14. rest — what's left
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spring — a coil
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rest — a break
  20. spell — magic
  21. press — a publisher
  22. spring — the season
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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