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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. file — a tool
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. file — a line of people
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. ball — a dance
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. branch — a division
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. clip — a video
  17. ball — a great time
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fork — in a road
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bulb — for light
  24. file — a document

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