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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bark — to shout
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. clip — a video
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fine — high quality
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. clip — to cut
  19. mug — a face
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. mug — a cup
  23. fine — all right
  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