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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bass — low music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. clip — a video
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. last — final
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bulb — for light
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cell — in biology
  18. last — finally
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. last — to go on
  22. bass — the fish
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bulb — for light

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