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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 120 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. current — of water
  3. band — a ring
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bulb — for light
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. current — electric
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. fall — the season
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — to cut
  19. tube — a container
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. current — happening now
  23. band — a music group
  24. clip — for paper

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