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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bulb — for light
  3. scale — in music
  4. net — in sport
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bulb — for light
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wound — an injury
  10. clip — a video
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. net — after costs
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. scale — size or range
  15. net — for catching
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pound — a weight
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. clip — to cut

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