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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. key — for a lock
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tube — the underground
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. tube — a container
  9. key — in music
  10. bulb — for light
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. lean — thin
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. clip — a video
  18. rash — a series
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. key — the most important part
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. clip — for paper

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