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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. content — the amount
  3. present — the time now
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. present — there
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. land — a country
  12. content — happy
  13. present — a gift
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. clip — a video
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. land — to come down
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. land — ground
  21. bulb — for light
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. lie — to recline

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