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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. foot — a measure
  3. tear — from crying
  4. clip — a video
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. perch — the fish
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pit — in a race
  9. clip — for paper
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bulb — for light
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. tear — to rip

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