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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bulb — for light
  4. clip — to cut
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. clip — for paper
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. object — to protest
  16. bass — the fish
  17. object — an aim
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. object — a thing
  21. clip — a video
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bass — low music

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