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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bulb — for light
  6. clip — for paper
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. clip — to cut
  14. foot — a measure
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wound — an injury

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