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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rock — music
  4. bulb — for light
  5. saw — the tool
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. spring — the season
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rest — what's left
  15. clip — a video
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. clip — to cut
  18. saw — the tool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rest — a break
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. spring — of water
  23. clip — for paper
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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