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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. clip — for paper
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bear — the animal
  9. scale — in music
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wind — moving air
  12. club — a group
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bore — to tire
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. clip — a video
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bore — to drill

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