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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. clip — for paper
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. game — a match
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. clip — to cut
  14. press — to push
  15. clip — a video
  16. plane — a tool
  17. press — a publisher
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bulb — for light
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pound — a weight

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