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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rest — a break
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bulb — for light
  6. board — a committee
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. clip — a video
  11. bass — low music
  12. board — to get on
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. net — for catching
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lean — thin
  19. net — in sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. net — after costs
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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