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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 116 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bulb — for light
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fine — high quality
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. clip — for paper
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. craft — a skill
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. clip — a video
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. file — a tool
  18. clip — to cut
  19. fine — all right
  20. file — a document
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bulb — for light
  24. file — a line of people

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