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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mark — a grade
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bulb — for light
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. drill — army training
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mark — a trace
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. spell — a short time
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. drill — a practice
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. spell — letters
  23. bulb — for light
  24. trunk — of a tree

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