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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. capital — a city
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. clip — a video
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pass — a permit
  7. craft — boats
  8. capital — money
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. season — of the year
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. season — in sport
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. clip — for paper
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. craft — a skill
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bulb — for light

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