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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 124 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. key — the most important part
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. clip — a video
  7. march — the month
  8. rash — a series
  9. bulb — for light
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. march — the month
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bulb — for light
  14. key — for a lock
  15. clip — to cut
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rash — hasty
  18. scale — size or range
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. dip — to sink
  21. key — in music
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. march — music
  24. rash — on the skin

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