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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bulb — for light
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. fork — in a road
  8. toast — bread
  9. lean — to bend
  10. ground — a position
  11. clip — a video
  12. lean — thin
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bat — the animal
  15. clip — to cut
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bulb — for light
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. wake — before a funeral

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