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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bass — the fish
  5. clip — a video
  6. tube — a container
  7. bass — low music
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. clip — to cut
  10. race — a contest
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. tube — the underground
  15. clip — for paper
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bulb — for light
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fall — the season
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fall — to drop

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