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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — there
  4. bore — to tire
  5. stem — to come from
  6. clip — a video
  7. prune — to trim
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. present — a gift
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. clip — for paper
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — to cut
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bore — to drill

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