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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pop — music
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pop — soda
  6. spell — a short time
  7. land — a country
  8. spell — letters
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. clip — to cut
  15. craft — a skill
  16. clip — a video
  17. craft — boats
  18. row — a line
  19. land — to come down
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pop — to visit
  22. clip — for paper
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. land — ground

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