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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. clip — a video
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. bulb — for light
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fork — in a road
  13. present — there
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. vault — a safe
  16. clip — to cut
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rash — a series
  19. spring — of water
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bulb — for light
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. spring — the season

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