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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. clip — for paper
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. land — a country
  21. lie — to recline
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. clip — a video
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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