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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. press — to push
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. game — wild animals
  5. board — a committee
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. board — to get on
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. press — a publisher
  14. fork — in a road
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. clip — a video
  19. branch — a division
  20. bulb — for light
  21. clip — for paper
  22. press — newspapers
  23. game — a match
  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