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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. charge — in control
  3. clip — a video
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bulb — for light
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spell — a short time
  17. plane — a tool
  18. clip — for paper
  19. charge — a price
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. lean — thin
  23. fall — the season
  24. charge — electricity

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