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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. season — in sport
  11. clip — to cut
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. track — a song
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. track — to keep track
  16. clip — a video
  17. wound — an injury
  18. clip — for paper
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. track — a path
  23. season — of the year
  24. bulb — for light

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