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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. clip — a video
  4. kick — in football
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. drill — army training
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bulb — for light
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pop — music
  17. drill — the tool
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. march — music
  20. bulb — for light
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. pop — soda

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