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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. clip — to cut
  7. craft — boats
  8. bulb — for light
  9. band — a ring
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — to bend
  12. clip — a video
  13. lean — thin
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. craft — a skill
  16. season — in sport
  17. hand — in cards
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bulb — for light
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. band — a music group
  22. hand — help
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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