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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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bulb — for light
  5. current — of water
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. current — happening now
  8. plane — a tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mark — a trace
  13. current — electric
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mark — a grade
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bulb — for light
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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