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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wax — to grow
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. press — to push
  10. bass — low music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. clip — to cut
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bass — the fish
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pitch — completely

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