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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. spring — the season
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. current — electric
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. current — of water
  8. face — part of the head
  9. current — happening now
  10. clip — a video
  11. saw — the tool
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. spring — of water
  15. face — to confront
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spring — a coil
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. face — to point toward
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. clip — to cut
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. saw — the tool
  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