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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bulb — for light
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. last — finally
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. roll — a list
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. last — to go on
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. roll — a cake
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. clip — a video
  23. bulb — for light
  24. last — final

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