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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. snap — to click
  3. tear — from crying
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bark — to shout
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. rash — a series
  16. tear — from crying
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rash — hasty

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