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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. suit — in cards
  3. staff — employees
  4. swing — to play on
  5. face — to point toward
  6. staff — a stick
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spring — the season
  11. clip — a video
  12. face — to confront
  13. bulb — for light
  14. swing — music
  15. cap — a hat
  16. clip — for paper
  17. face — part of the head
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. cap — of ice
  21. swing — in golf
  22. staff — employees
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — clothes

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