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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. staff — a stick
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. track — to keep track
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bulb — for light
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. squash — to crush
  14. staff — employees
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. clip — a video
  20. wound — an injury
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. clip — for paper
  23. squash — the sport
  24. staff — employees

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