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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. field — a subject
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bound — obliged
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. clip — a video
  16. bulb — for light
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. field — for sport
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bulb — for light
  23. field — farmland
  24. cabinet — ministers

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