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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 120 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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — the cause
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wound — an injury
  9. clip — a video
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mate — a friend
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. root — of a word
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — a trail
  24. nail — for a hammer

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