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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. club — a group
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. club — for dancing
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. club — for golf
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. nail — on a finger

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